


Breakable

by Seventyfiveapples



Category: Watchmen, Watchmen (TV 2019), Watchmen (TV), Watchmen - All Media Types, Watchmen HBO - Fandom
Genre: And Then Some, Anxiety, Arson, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fingering, Looking Glass, M/F Sex, Non graphic violence, PTS, PTSD, Religious Abuse, Slow Burn, Smut, Trauma Recovery, Wade needs a hug, Watchmen - Freeform, agent Laurie blake, agent dale petey, bed sharing, dale petey, implied past sexual abuse, laurie blake - Freeform, not that much smut, wade Tillman/ looking glass, wade tillman - Freeform, wade tillman/ oc, watchmen hbo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-07
Updated: 2020-01-23
Packaged: 2021-02-18 07:53:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 27,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21591043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seventyfiveapples/pseuds/Seventyfiveapples
Summary: Wade Tillman meets a new neighbor. Both are guarded, gun-shy, and not looking for new friends. It’s a match made in... Tulsa.
Comments: 29
Kudos: 53





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place before the events of the HBO series. it doesn’t really tie in to the graphic novel or the 2009 movie.  
> At some point the events of this story will intersect with the HBO show, but I don’t want to say too much just yet about when. For this story you should have seen at least through episode 5. I mean, you do you, you don’t HAVE to do anything but it will make a LOT more sense of you do.
> 
> Also: Wade mentions once that he was born in Hugo, OK. very odd coincidence: I have relatives by marriage in that area… I’ve been taking lots of dialogue notes over the holidays, lol. 
> 
> Oh a note about my writing pace: I’m planning on about a chapter a week. 
> 
> Last- If you are reading this and enjoying it, then THANK YOU! It means a lot that there are people who are enjoying this. Thank you again!

“Fucking _shit_!”

Wade Tillman startled at the sound of a woman cursing. He was outside doing yard work on a sunny Saturday - installing a new doorbell camera - and hadn’t even realized anyone was nearby.

He gathered himself and turned around slowly to see his neighbor - a woman in her mid-thirties, maybe - picking herself up from a fall near the end of his driveway. She’d moved in about a month ago. He’d seen her coming and going before, but they’d never spoken. She had a dog with her, a German Shepherd mix, who was looking at her, puzzled. She brushed herself off and was in the process of looking over herself for damage.

“You okay there?” He called without moving from his porch.

“Oh, hey,” she said dryly, annoyed. She spoke without really looking at him. “Yeah. I’m fine.” 

He shrugged and started to go back to his task. He was trying to focus on a delicate wiring issue when-

“Ah! Dammit!” She’d barely taken two steps before crumpling into another heap. This time, she stayed down. Her dog barked - Wade could have sworn it was in his direction - and the woman slowly tried to get up again.

Wade sighed, set down his tools, and ambled over to the woman with a slow, steady stride.

“You know,” he started, speaking in what he hoped was a soothing tone, “For someone who’s doing just fine, you seem to be having some trouble there.”

The woman stiffened, wiped her eyes with one hand, and looked up at him guardedly.

Wade tried again.

“Ma’am, can I give you a hand? A ride, maybe?”

She looked at him for a long moment. Eventually she nodded.

“Could you just-?”

“Yep,” he answered, crouching a little to help her stand. He pulled her up a little too quickly and she winced when her weight landed on her right foot. She nearly lost her balance again, this time pitching forward and into crashing into Wade.

“Easy, now.” He tried to stay as still as possible while she steadied herself.

“Okay I think I’m okay n- _ah fuck_ , it hurts!”

“Hell, you’re as stubborn as I am,” he said with a wry smile. “ Alright, just… put this arm over my shoulder then... kinda hop on the other foot.” She did so, and Wade gave a light chuckle. “You really did it good, huh?”

“I... guess so,” she answered with considerable effort.

“Can I call anyone?” 

She shook her head.

“I just live about a... ah! A block away. If I could just get a ride home I’ll be fine.” The dog started pawing at Wade’s shin. “This is Bruiser. I’m surprised he’s not barking his head off. He’s usually pretty protective.” Wade held his hand out for the dog to sniff. The dog obliged then nuzzled into Wade’s hand. Wade scratched the dog’s head a couple of times. 

“Huh,” she said. “I’ve never seen him take to someone new like that. Ever.”

“He’s just worried about you,” Wade deflected. She knew better. What she meant was that she’d never seen her dog take to a man he didn’t know. She tried again to shift a little weight to her right foot. Nope, not happening. A bolt of pain shot through her and she gasped and swore again. Wade sighed. She did not want anyone’s help, but she wasn’t going anywhere on her own. In the meantime he had to admit that he didn’t hate the feeling of her body leaning on his for support. 

“You got insurance?” he asked. She nodded. “Look it’s your call, but I think you need a doctor. There’s an urgent care clinic about a mile away. You can get it x-rayed. I can take you there or I can take you home. Again: your call.”

Her body tensed a little, and Wade took a half step away, giving her space. She was so guarded. Meanwhile, her ankle throbbed. Reluctantly, she admitted to herself that he was right.

“Okay,” she sighed, “The clinic. You can just drop me off, I’ll get a ride home.” Wade carefully walk/hopped her to his car and got her situated inside. He started the car and noticed a new pothole in the street- right where she had fallen. He’d call the city when he got home.

“Name’s Wade, by the way.”

“Hi, Wade. I’m Cora.”

“Nice to meet you, Cora. Circumstances notwithstanding.”

She smiled a little at that. She was about to respond when a flash of pain drew her attention away. Today was turning out quite differently than planned.

***

Cora called two people from the clinic, neither of whom were able to pick her up. Wade said that he didn’t mind waiting. He was going back her way anyway.

Luckily there wasn’t much of a wait. Bruiser was in Wade’s car with a cracked window, and it was chilly enough that Cora wasn’t worried. The two of them sat in silence, Wade reading and Cora fidgeting, trying to keep her mind off the pain. 

Wade didn’t take Cora’s standoffish behavior personally. She was in pain, she didn’t know him, and he had surmised that she wasn’t one to ask for help easily. He could respect all of that. Besides, he wasn’t exactly looking to get involved.

But when her breathing changed and sweat started to form on her brow, he could tell her pain was more than she was letting on.

“You know: you should probably elevate that,” Wade said without looking up from his magazine.

Cora looked around. How? On what? Thanks for the advice, random guy. A surge of pain caused her to slam her eyes shut for a couple of seconds. When she opened them she saw that Wade had moved his chair perpendicular to hers and was watching her closely.

“Let me know if it’s too much, okay?” Cora nodded silently and braced herself as Wade gently lifted her leg and let it rest on his lap. Was it her imagination or was this helping? She wanted to say something but his attention was already back in his magazine.

She noticed with surprise that he was reading Scientific American - and pretty intently. When she had first moved into her house a month ago, she’d noticed Wade but had written him off as some redneck loner. But today he’d been nothing but kind and patient. Clearly there was more to him than met the eye. Who was this guy?

***

An hour and a half later, Wade had delivered Cora and Bruiser - along with a pair of crutches and some prescriptions - back to Cora’s house. The doctor’s diagnosis was a sprain. A pretty bad one, but thankfully nothing was broken. 

Cora’s house had the same layout as his, Wade noticed, but with a decorating touch that made it feel more spacious. He was marvelling at that as he brought her a glass of water.

“Really, I’m fine. You don’t have to do all this. You’ve already done a lot.”

She was still keeping him at arm’s length. That was fine with him, but still, he was a little concerned about her. She had out-of-state plates and - he had noticed at the clinic - an out of state license. She was new to the area. Plus, judging by a lack of photos and a single place setting at the table, she lived alone. Apart from Bruiser.

“Here’s my phone number,” he said, scribbling on a piece of mail on the counter. “You know where I live so if you need anything, you just give me a call.” 

“Okay,” Since the sprain was on her right foot she wouldn’t be able to drive for a bit. She bristled at the thought of having to be so dependent on friends and coworkers. Or this neighbor who was practically a stranger.

A cute stranger. 

A stranger who was stronger than he looked, and kind enough to drop everything and help a neighbor, without a word of complaint. A stranger with nice hands and sweet, sad eyes, and-

Dammit, stop it, she told herself.

“I think I’ve got it from here.” She responded with a smile.

“Alright well, I’ll leave you to it,” Wade said a little sheepishly, scratching Bruiser’s ears as he saw himself out.

Cora made it to the couch and collapsed. She was about to slip into a self-pitying nap when she suddenly bolted awake with the realization:

She had never told Wade “thank you,” … not even one time.

***

Wade had barely made it home from work the following Monday when he noticed the flashing light on his answering machine. He pressed play. As he took off his hat and pulled his “at home” reflectatine mask over his face, Cora’s voice rang out across the empty house.

“Hey. Um, this message is for Wade- it’s Cora. You know, the asshole you helped out all day on Saturday who never even said thanks?”

Wade laughed to himself.

“So anyway, um: thank you. You were so kind. You went out of your way to help out, and I- Anyway, I wondered if... no, Bruiser, stop that! Sorry, I’d like to say thanks in person if I could. Just come by when you get off work. I’ve got something for you- Oh, and thank you again. Really.”

Huh, Wade thought. That was something.

He should just call her back. He didn’t need to visit. He’d already done his good deed. He didn’t care that she hadn’t thanked him: he hadn’t even noticed. But what was the point of making a new friend? They’d just be disappointed in him eventually, when they learned about his anxiety, about how he lived. They’d be disappointed or worse, they’d pity him.

There was no reason for him to go and pay Cora a visit, save one. 

He wanted to. 

As his ex-wife used to tell him: _Don’t overthink it, Wade._

He reached for his ball cap again and headed out to Cora’s house. 


	2. Chapter 2

It is a universal human experience to feel like an abject idiot when leaving a voicemail. 

At least, that was what Cora told herself after leaving a message for Wade. 

Currently she was trying not to think about her voicemail as she paced - or as close to pacing as she could get using crutches - trying to straighten up a little. 

She had noticed his car drive down the street a few minutes ago. He was probably getting home from work and just now listening to her message. 

He may not want to come over. She hadn’t been exactly a sparkling conversationalist the other day… or even that nice.

She didn’t know why she hoped so hard that he would, or why she couldn’t get him out of her mind since the other day. On paper, they had nothing in common. He was nice, even if he pretended not to be, but he seemed like a loner, a real country guy. Not her usual crowd. Still there was something about him...

_Ding dong!_

Bruiser barked in response. Cora went to answer.

***

Wade second-guessed himself about a dozen times as he stepped up onto Cora’s porch. What was he doing here? Was this a bad idea? Why on earth would she invite him over?

He had no idea.

Yet here he was.

He planned on a quick visit - fifteen minutes or so - and then they could go back to polite neighborly waves and nods in passing. Just this one visit. Then they could both get back to their lives. No real risk of getting close to someone.

He exhaled heavily and rang the bell.

***

Cora ran a hand over her hair and opened the door. She held onto Bruiser to keep him from jumping on her guest.

“Hey! Glad you could come over. Come on in!”

Wade blinked. Cora seemed like a totally different person today. Upbeat, smiling. Had he noticed how pretty she was the other day? She hadn’t smiled at all the other day. Understandable, given the circumstances. But looking at her now, her smile seemed to light up the room on its own.

He was probably at least 15 years older than her but he felt like a shy kid in the presence of that smile. 

He felt just like the kid he was back in 1985 when-

 _No_. Push it back.

This isn’t that, Wade. She’s your neighbor. She’s not going to-

“You gonna come in or...?”

“Yeah.” He stepped in and took a minute looking around. Cora watched him scan the place. 

“Got your message,” he said finally.

“I figured,” she smiled. “So: I got these for you…” She indicated a cardboard box on her counter. “I just wanted to say thanks for the other day.”

“You didn’t have to get me anything. I was in the right place at the right time. Anyone would’ve done the same.”

“I don’t know about that,” she replied, smiling softly. “You went out of your way and I appreciate it.”

Wade looked at her, then away - unsure of what to say. Cora smiled at him again and continued.

“Besides: I know I didn’t have to. I wanted to.”

Wade strolled over to the counter. He nearly tripped on a loose floorboard on the way into the kitchen. He frowned at it briefly, then returned his attention to Cora and the box on her counter.

“Pendulum Cafe,” he said, reading the logo on a box of pastries on the kitchen counter. “That’s that new hot shit restaurant downtown.” Their bakery always sold out by noon. Wade didn’t exactly follow fine dining, but even he knew how popular they were. Pirate Jenny had brought some into the station once but Wade had come in a minute too late and missed them. 

“Yeah. Have you been?”

Wade shook his head. 

“Haven’t had the pleasure. But I hear good things.” 

“I’m the pastry chef.”

His eyebrows raised. He didn’t say anything, but he was impressed. Cora felt her heart pound at the sudden eye contact. 

He opened the lid and looked over the choices. They were delicate, intricate things, and he didn’t have a clue what they were. But they looked and smelled nice. He appreciated the gesture.

“Here,” she told him, walking around the counter until she was standing next to him, “My way of saying thank you.”

She grabbed a knife from the drawer and cut one of her creations right down the middle. She handed him one half of what looked like a donut-sized peach pie. The crust was perfectly golden and a delicate scent wafted out. A little peach filling oozed out of the other half, still in the box. 

Wade took a bite, then shut his eyes and made a face that Cora took as a compliment.

“Damn,” He said finally. “That’s-” He shook his head, searching for words. “You are… _welcome_.”

Cora grinned broadly. Wade headed back toward the door with the rest of the small dessert.

“Oh wait! The whole box is for you.” 

He looked up at her for a minute. He wasn’t usually a chatty guy, but he felt more tongue-tied than usual. He gave her a nod and went to pick up the box when something caught his eye.

“You gonna fix that floor?” He gestured toward the loose floorboard.

“What?”

“With the crutches and all, you don’t wanna trip”

“Um… yeah. Maybe. I haven’t thought about it, honestly.”

“You got tools?”

“In the garage.” She indicated the door to the garage with a nod but her expression was concerned. “But Wade, seriously it’s fine-“

He was already heading to the garage, but he turned and gave her a lopsided grin.

“Don’t want you to sprain the other foot. I ain’t got another day off until the weekend.”

She laughed a little. Okay then. She hopped over to the door that led into her garage.

“Let me show you,” she offered.

The repair was pretty simple. Less than five minutes, and then Wade ducked out pretty quickly. As he was leaving, he mentioned something about her front door lock sticking. He said he would see what he could do about it… if she wanted. 

She told him that that would be okay.

If he was looking for excuses to visit, she didn’t mind one bit. 

***

Wade came by two days later to fix the door. Cora surprised him by fixing dinner and sending him home with leftovers. When he came back to return her dishes a few days after that, he found her struggling with a plumbing issue in the kitchen. He made a quick fix but he’d promised to go to the hardware store so that he could get what he needed to fix it properly.

Cora tried to object - it was generous of Wade to spend time helping her out and she didn’t want to take advantage of his good nature. But he truly didn’t seem to mind, and she enjoyed his company. He was the first person she’d met in this city, outside of work.

For his part, Wade knew that the previous owners of Cora’s house had let a few things go, and he figured when that there might be more things that needed fixing. None were jobs that Cora couldn’t handle herself, of course, but she was still on crutches. Better for him to do it than Cora to hurt herself, or to hire someone and spend a bunch of money.

He tried not to stay for more than an hour or so. He didn’t want to get in her way. But she was nice to talk to. She didn’t push him to talk but she listened when he did. And she had great stories. She’d lived and worked all over the world, but she wanted to put down roots here in Tulsa, where she was born.

When he came back a couple of days later, after picking up a few things at the hardware store, Cora just called out, “Come on in.” 

That was odd. Usually she met him at the door. 

As soon as he walked in, he stopped in his tracks. It looked like all of Cora’s couch cushions had simultaneously exploded. There were fabric scraps and bits of stuffing everywhere, and Cora was sitting on the floor, trying to gather them. She looked defeated.

Bruiser sat in front of Wade and wagged his tail, as if he was waiting for something.

“Doing some re-decorating?” Wade asked, scratching Bruiser’s head.

“Damn dog. He’s mad at me for not taking him on walks.”

Wade chuckled a little. “He’s subtle.” 

“Look- I hate to ask you for another favor after everything you’ve done for me, but I still can’t really walk him for at least another week… and he seems to like you. Would you mind walking him - just 15, 20 minutes a night? Just until I’m off crutches? I could pay you. Just tell me-”

Wade held up a hand to stop her. He shook his head.

“I would be happy to, and you can keep your money.”

To his surprise, she started to cry. She pulled herself up to stand. He walked over to help but she was already on her feet. She pulled him into a tight hug.

“Damn it, Wade,” she said, “I don’t know what to say. Just thank you. I don’t know what I would have done without you the last couple of weeks. I promise I’m usually not this… helpless.” She hated the feeling of being dependent on other people. 

He was beyond surprised. He rubbed her back a little, hoping it was a soothing gesture. Wade honestly couldn’t remember the last time he’d hugged anyone. Maybe his ex-wife? Shit, that would have been years ago.

“It’s okay,” he assured her. “It’s okay. We all need a little help now and again.”

***

After that, Wade started coming by every day to walk Bruiser, usually staying for a bit afterwards to visit. Some days he’d show up later than others, but he still made it every day. She started to keep his favorite beer on hand so he’d stay for a few extra minutes, chatting while he leaned his lanky frame against her fridge. 

He told her a few things about his life - that he was born in Hugo, that he’d been raised in a strictly religious household, that he’d been near ground zero on 11/2… and that that last fact continued to affect his life. But he didn’t get too specific. Didn’t tell her about his photography or the bunker or - anything that might scare her off. Cora, too, had been raised in a ln ultra-religious family, and she shared that she didn’t talk to her family as an adult. Wade was curious about that but when she mentioned it, it felt like a closed door. He didn’t push.

On 11/2 she wasn’t even born yet.

A few times, Cora cooked dinner while they walked so that they could eat together afterwards. 

He had to admit, it beat the hell out of a can of cold baked beans. He didn’t remember when he’d eaten so well. 

But if he was honest, the food wasn’t why he kept visiting.

He started looking forward to that part of his day.

And so did she.

***

Wade recognized that his feelings for Cora were more than friendship, but he was keeping romance off the table... That was where things usually went bad. But things didn’t have to go anywhere. He was happy just spending time together on a regular basis. 

Cora, for her part, had never met anyone like Wade before. She found him fascinating. He was well-read and keenly observant about people. He had a quick, sardonic wit delivered in a slow, even drawl that made his humor always feel like a surprise. She could listen to him talk all day - if he said more than a sentence or two at a time, that is.

However, she also found him incredibly, frustratingly hard to read. If he was only interested in friendship, she could live with that. He was a nice and interesting guy, even if there were a few things about him that didn’t make total sense. But every time she thought they were starting to get closer, he would pull away, act a little more distant or just up and leave. 

It was like he was afraid of something: afraid of her.

She didn’t know what to make of that.

***

Once Cora could walk again, she invited Wade to continue walking Bruiser with her whenever he was free. Wade would usually join two or three times a week.

On one evening’s walk, Cora seemed quiet.

“Something on your mind?” Wade asked casually, bracing himself for bad news. This budding friendship had seemed too good to be true. He knew that. Now that she had her independence again, she’d want to cut back on the time they spent together. 

“Actually, yeah. I wanted to ask you something,” she started carefully.

“Okay. Shoot.”

“What are you doing next Saturday?” 

He paused and pretended to think about it. He never had plans. “Not a blessed thing. Why?”

“Good! I figured that you would probably have plans. I’m gonna have some friends over for a “Christmas in June” party. Just potluck dinner and drinks with some friends from work: no stress, no gifts. I wanted to invite you.”

Wade paused and thought about it. He wasn’t too comfortable in group settings, but he liked the idea of seeing Cora again for more than fifteen minutes at a time… Still, he was apprehensive. This was outside the boundaries of their established pattern of low-risk interactions. 

A pattern, he realized with a frown, that had been set almost entirely on his terms.

He was also thinking about Cora. There was some tenderness in the way she’d asked him. That scared him more than he wanted to admit. He wondered for the hundredth time what her story was: why she had come back to the town where she grew up if she’d cut ties with her family? There was a lot they didn’t know about each other yet. Getting closer might be a bad idea.

Bruiser extended the silence by stopping for a pee.

“Thanks for the invite,” he said finally, “Now that I think on it, I may be working that day.” 

“Oh,” she said, puzzled. Why would a market researcher work on a Saturday? Most likely, was trying to politely brush off the invite. She tried once more anyway, forcing a lighthearted tone.

“Well, if you end up free and feel like it, people are coming over at noon and we’re gonna eat at two. And I don’t know if this changes anything, but about half of the guests are professional chefs, so we’re gonna eat very well.”

Wade nodded without looking at her.

Cora was hoping for more than that lukewarm response. He was so damn hard to read.

They continued walking in silence until they reached the point where they usually turned around. Wade looked over at Cora, who had stopped to pet Bruiser. Trusting someone new scared the shit out of him, but he knew this woman wasn’t like that girl at the carnival all those years ago, stringing him along for a prank. He hadn’t known Cora long, but in that time - about six weeks - he’d never seen her be anything less than patient and kind. 

He also didn’t want to repeat the mistake he’d made with Cynthia: keeping her at arm’s length until his trust issues finally pushed her away for good. 

_Don’t overthink it, Wade._

“You know,” he said, after a long pause, “I have been known to make a mean dish of mashed potatoes. Secret is: half russet, half Yukon gold.” She turned slowly to look at him. “I guess I could make that.”

“Are… are you saying you’ll come?”

“I think I can move some things around.”

She fought a smile as they made their way back to her house.


	3. Chapter 3

“Plans?! Since when do you have fucking _plans_ on a weekend?” Angela yelled. She’d been counting on Looking Glass to cover her shift ever since she found out that she was on the schedule and he wasn’t. He always covered. They were walking through the station and arguing as they went. Rather, Angela was arguing.

“Since yesterday.”

“And since you covered me the last couple of Saturdays, I was kind of counting on your reclusive ass to cover again. Since when do you know people?” 

That stung Wade a little, but she had a point. He didn’t have any family. He didn’t have friends. Both were quiet for a minute. 

When Angela spoke again, she softened her tone.

“Look, my youngest two have soccer on the weekends and they keep asking why I can’t make it. I just want to be there, you know?”

Wade sighed.

“I do.”

There was another pause.

“Look,” Wade conceded, “I’ll take the morning but I need to leave by 12, 12:30 at the latest.”

Angela visibly relaxed.

“That’ll work.” They had made it to their desks and were settling in. “Thanks, Glass.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s for your kids.”

The two worked quietly for a few minutes until Wade spoke up again.

“My neighbor’s having some kinda dinner party. She asked if I could come.”

A pause hung in the air. Now he had Angela’s full attention.

“I’m supposed to bring potatoes.”

He hardly ever volunteered information about his life.

“ _She,_ huh? This the same neighbor who broke her leg and had you walking her damn dog all over the neighborhood?”

“It was a sprain, not a break,” he said in measured tones. “And yes.”

Angela laughed a little as she returned her attention to her paperwork.

“Is she cute?”

Wade sighed. He shouldn’t have mentioned it.

“Want me to go drop off that paperwork for you?” He walked towards her desk as he spoke, trying to change the subject.

“Yeah, thanks.. Well enjoy your ‘plans,’ Glass.” She teased. Wade just shook his head and walked off. He was glad she couldn’t see his face redden under the reflectatine.

***

At Pendulum Cafe, Cora was finishing up her shift.

“How the fuck do you keep coming up with new stuff?” Her co-worker Abby asked, looking over the pastry case. An array of shapes and angles, impeccably golden, sat on white ceramic trays ready for sale.

“Please,” Cora deflected. “It’s all just variations on a couple of themes.”

Abby rolled her eyes. Everyone knew that it was Cora who had put the new restaurant on the map. But she was too nice - and her food too good - for anyone to resent her. Abby also knew that she was uncomfortable with too much attention. She changed the subject.

“So who all is coming to your Christmas in June thing?”

“You, Kurt, Kurt’s friend Hailey,” the two exchanged a look, “a couple of friends from my dog park group: Marc and Steve, and my neighbor, Wade.”

“Okay. Are Marc and Steve a couple of friends, or friends who are a couple?”

“They’re a couple.”

“Hmm… so three couples and me?”

“Wade and I are not a couple! He’s just a friend… _what_?”

“Your friend that you can’t stop talking about? Okay.”

“Please,” she said with a sigh. “Anyway- he’s a good guy. You’ll like him..” Cora tried to ignore Abby’s implication. Honestly, she wished it were true. Wade and Cora had gone from being strangers two months ago to spending time together almost daily. But since neither of them had made a move at this point, she figured it wasn’t going to happen. 

Romance or not, she liked his company. She could ignore those feelings if it meant being in his life.

“Maybe I will… maybe I’ll like him and ask him out myself,” Abby said playfully. Cora didn’t take the bait.

“Maybe you will.”

“You’re impossible. Well I’m bringing that hazelnut/fresh fig dressing. And some weed for later- so, we’ll see about that ‘just friends’ business!”

Cora tried to object but Abby had already left the room. 

She supposed it wouldn’t be the worst thing if her friend helped push things along. At least then, she’d know where she stood with Wade.

As she finished cleaning up, she put her jacket on and felt for an envelope in the pocket. She took it out and felt a pang of sadness. 

_Soon, Seth,_ she thought to herself. _I don’t know how but I’m gonna get you out of there soon, I promise._

Maybe it was time to ask for help.

***

A week later, it was 1:15 on the day of the party and still no Wade. Cora caught herself looking out the front window for about the hundredth time. Disappointed, she thought about calling, but decided against. Her other five guests were laughing and drinking wine as they got to know each other in the living room. She poured herself a glass of red and joined the group. 

Guests were Marc and Steve, a couple from the local dog park, two co-workers: Kurt and Abby, and Kurt’s friend Hailey. Hailey was Kurt’s on-again-off-again girlfriend, outgoing and gorgeous, and a bit of a mess. She was in the middle of a story about getting out of a traffic ticket by pretending to be in labor. Cora and Abby exchanged a glance.

About halfway into the story, there was a knock at the door. A few eyebrows flew up and Abby mouthed to Kurt: “the neighbor.”

“Come in!” Hailey yelled as Cora hurried towards the door. She made it just as he let himself in. The two nearly collided. 

Wade looked down with a shy smile and adjusted the heavy grocery bag in his arms.

He found himself momentarily speechless as he faced Cora. She was somehow even prettier than usual, slightly flushed from laughter and wine.

“Wade!” She gushed, “I was afraid you weren’t going to make it. I’m so glad you’re here! Let me take that...”

“What, miss the party and deprive these fine folks of my secret mashed potato recipe? Perish the thought.”

She laughed. It was a lovely sound. She helped him set down his grocery bag and gave him a quick hug. He was just as surprised as he’d been the first time she hugged him.

“I can’t wait to try it. But we have a little more time on the ham. Here, I wanna introduce you to some people,” she said. He gave a wave to the group and nodded as Cora introduced him to her guests.

***

A few hours later, everyone was full and most of them were a little tipsy. Marc and Steve were picking out some games to play. Cora had started to clean up the dishes but her ankle was throbbing - it had mostly healed, but it still did that when she pushed things. As she was hurrying to clean, she took a crooked step and let out a gasp of pain. 

Wade was on the couch closest to the kitchen. He sprang up at the sound. A few of the other guests exchanged raised eyebrows as he went to check on her. He tried to ignore them - but he knew what they meant. 

“Hey Cora- why don’t you rest up? I can do this.”

“Oh no, Wade, I’m okay, and I’m nearly done. I’ll just be a minute.”

He stepped closer to her as she spoke. He thought she might not want others to hear.

“It’s your ankle again?”

She denied it but when she looked in his eyes she saw he wasn’t buying it. She set down the scrub brush and the plate she was washing. 

“Okay, fine. It is really starting to hurt. Do you mind if I hang out in here wurh you?” She hopped up on a barstool. It felt nice to get off her feet.

“I do not.” He’d already started washing dishes. 

“Good. I feel like we haven’t had a chance to talk much.”

“You got a house full of people to talk to.”

He always did that: deflect attention from himself. She considered his conversational distance as she had a sip of wine. She wanted to share something with him- something about her past, but maybe it wasn’t a good idea. 

What she should probably do is go to the police, but something about those masked officers creeped her out.

Finally she spoke again.

“Can I ask you something, Wade?” Cora poses the question as he was almost finished.

He looked at her over his shoulder while he dried a glass.

“Shoot.”

“Why do you always wear that same ball cap? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without it.”

He turned off the water and faced her. He had thought about telling her, but this wasn’t the right time.

“Brings out my sparkling eyes,” he deadpanned.

Cora laughed at that, which made him smile as well.

“I just like it, I guess. Can I ask _you_ something?” Wade countered. He turned around and leaned back against the sink. Deflecting again, Cora noticed.

“Yeah, sure.”

“You’ve lived and worked all over the world. Yet you’ve come back to settle down in the one place where you’ve got family whom you decidedly do not speak to. Why?”

The smile and warmth drained out of her face. Wade suddenly regretted asking.

“Actually-“ she started in a quiet voice, “I really want to talk to you about this but not today, with everyone here. Can we-“

“Attention! Cora and Wade- will you _please_ join us in the living room?” Abby shouted. She had an odd twinkle in her eye. She was up to something. The two looked at each other. Wade gave Cora a “ladies first” gesture and they both made their way back to the living room, where a wave of laughter erupted. 

Abby pointed above Cora’s head. She looked up- they were standing underneath mistletoe. Abby must have brought some.

Cora blushed as she glanced at Wade, who just looked nervous, like he wished he could run. That stung her a little. 

_Well at least now you know where you stand with him._

She wouldn’t prolong his misery. She took a step closer to Wade. He seemed frozen in place. Her eyes searched his for any clarity. She didn’t want to kiss him if he really didn’t want her to. But he surprised her. He softened his expression and gave a slight nod. She placed a hand lightly along his jawline and leaned in, giving him a soft little peck on the opposite cheek. His whiskers tickled but the contact felt electric. 

The other guests returned their attention to the game they were playing.

She looked back into Wade’s eyes to see something else there. A smile tugged at one corner of his mouth. He was looking at her intently. Hungrily. 

Her heart was pounding. 

She leaned in again, this time gave him a lingering, tender kiss right on the lips.

After that they just looked at each other. It took her a few seconds to catch her breath. 

“Hi, Wade.” She said finally, barely above a whisper.

“Hi, yourself.”

They almost forgot they were surrounded by people, until-

“You call that a kiss?” asked Hailey. 

“Babe, sit down,” Kurt told her, annoyed.

Cora took a step back from Wade, unsure what Hailey was doing. To her dismay, she took Cora’s place, standing right in front of Wade. 

If Wade looked a little nervous with Cora, he was positively stricken now. An awful feeling settled in Cora’s stomach. This was bad.

Hailey took his face in both hands. She tried to go in for a kiss but misjudged and hit her head in the bill of his cap. Before he could register what was happening, she pulled off the cap and tossed it in the middle of the room, then pulled him in for a deep kiss. 

The room had gone silent.

When they separated, Wade was pale, terrified. His eyes were wide.

He looked at Cora, who was holding his hat. From the sad expressions of pity and concern around the room, he knew that everyone - except for Hailey apparently - had seen the reflectatine lining before she grabbed it.

_God damnit._

Cora had seen it. Dammit he should have told her. Now she was trying to hide it from them, which somehow felt worse.

She walked over to him and handed it to him. He put it on and continued scanning the room.

Only Hailey - whose questions Kurt was trying to hush - seemed oblivious.

He looked back at Cora. She didn’t have any judgement in her eyes - any sadness or disappointment. She wasn’t upset or confused or worried. She looked at him as she always had.

He felt guilty anyway. 

He gave her a single nod and turned and left the party without a word. 

_Way to go, dummy_ , he told himself as he walked up the street to his home. _Now she knows who you really are. There's no going back._

_You should have just put her in a cab that day._

_Why did you think she might ever-_

“Wade!” Cora was following after him, limping a little and calling his name. He kept walking. “Wade, stop, please!”

He stopped in his tracks and hung his head. As he turned around to face her he saw Kurt and Hailey leaving Cora’s house.

She finally caught up with him. She breathlessly tried to explain.

“Hailey… is an idiot… I’m sorry-”

“Everyone saw it, didn’t they? My hat?”

“Wade, look-“

He shook his head and started to turn around. She stopped him with a hand on his elbow.

“I know you were there on 11/2. You’ve seen things I can’t imagine. If a little material in your hat gives you some peace of mind then who fucking cares? I don’t!”

He narrowed his eyes and looked at her. She meant it- she didn’t care. 

“You know what people say about people like me. We’re crazy. Paranoid.”

“I know what they say. I also know that I had an uncle - he was there that day, too. Only he wasn’t nearly as well adjusted as you.”

Wade snorted. She had no idea.

“You can keep a job, drive a car, talk to people you don’t know. He couldn’t do any of that. Most of the time he was one of the kindest people I’ve ever known. But sometimes he would have awful panic attacks, violent outbursts at nothing. The rest of the family wouldn’t let him use that stuff- reflectatine. Said it would be coddling him. One day he decided he couldn’t take it anymore. Drove his car over a bridge. 

“If a little piece of fabric would have made things easier for him - even for one minute - I’ll always regret not fighting harder for him. So yeah, who cares?”

He took a few steps towards her until they were almost as close as they’d been under the mistletoe. He spoke in a low, gruff tone.

“I’m not your uncle.” 

“I kno-“

“But now you just see me as a pathetic old crackpot. Someone you need to ‘help.’”

“That’s not true.”

“Go home, Cora.”

“Back there- under the mistletoe- you should know how I see you.”

Wade said nothing to that. He just looked down.

“Besides someone once told me that we all need a little help now and again. You remember that?”

He wanted to believe that she really did care about him. But that was selfish. He couldn’t really let people in, and it would be unfair to expect her to accept that. 

No, he would let her down eventually, just like everyone else. He wouldn’t put her - or himself - through that.

“I can’t… do this. I can’t be a friend to you. I’m sorry. It ain’t your fault, I just- I can’t.”

He sounded so defeated as he spoke that Cora didn’t know how to respond. She stayed in place as he trudged off towards his home.


	4. 4

Cora slunk back in the door looking dazed. Abby helped her to the couch.

“He’ll come around. Just give him some time,” Abby said, more confidently than she felt.

“I just hate that he left here feeling so… embarrassed.” 

“For what it’s worth, the reflectatine is really not that big of a deal,” Steve said. “A lot of people his age use that stuff. More than you would think.”

“I know,” Cora agreed, “But it was a big deal to him. He was there, back on 11/2.”

“Oh, shit.” Abby said with a heavy breath.

“Yeah. What was awful was the _way_ we found out. If he didn’t tell me in all that time we spent hanging out…” she shook her head. It should have been his choice to share that or not.

Now he was hurt and embarrassed and Cora felt like shit.

***

The next day at work, Cora tried to keep Wade off her mind. Luckily, the morning rush kept her plenty busy.

And she was expecting a visitor, which helped her focus. Remembering why she was really here, and who she was trying to help.

Right on cue, a young woman came in at 2:15 and ordered a hibiscus iced tea and a lemon bar. She sat at a corner table.

Cora’s heart pounded as she came over to bring her the lemon bar. 

“Glad you made it okay. Did you-?”

“I only have a couple of minutes, so listen. It’s gonna be Seth and two young girls. Three days from now. They’ll come in a bakery delivery truck at 9:00pm, here. If _anything_ seems off, the code is ‘orange.’ 

“What does that mean?”

“Also, I’d lay low in the meantime if I were you. Groups of Elders have been coming into the city to scout, and your restaurant is getting lots of attention in the media. It’s only a matter of time before they ID you.”

“Okay,” Cora said, trying to stifle an eye roll. She’d left 18 years ago and was using a different name. No one would be looking for her. That was the crux of the whole plan. But Cora was uneasy for other reasons. “Do you think we should go to the cops?”

“ _No._ Jesus, Cora! We do that and we will be putting all of those kids, and your cousin Seth, at risk. The Elders have got like five cops on their payroll. Fuck, _think!_ ” The customer was clearly irritated as she gathered her things to leave. 

She brushed heavily past Cora, whispering: “Three days. 9pm.”

Cora watched her leave. She muttered drily under her breath as the door closed.

“Always a pleasure, Tina.”

She lifted up the plate to find another letter from Seth. She slid it in her pocket and scanned the room. Was anyone watching? Reporting back? Maybe Tina was right. Maybe they were taking too many chances. 

But maybe… they were in over their head. 

If only there were police officers that she could really trust...

***

After work, Cora was still cleaning up the party’s aftermath. Putting up dishes, she noticed that Wade had left his stockpot and utensils. Maybe he would be willing to talk in the clear light of day, she thought, heading out the door.

***

Wade couldn’t stop replaying the events of the previous night. 

Hailey removing his cap like that, in front of everyone, had tapped into some deep issues.

It reminded him why he never should have got close to Cora in the first place. Maybe to anyone. 

He also kept thinking of the sweet kiss on the lips from Cora. The way she looked at him when she said,

_Hi, Wade._

He almost couldn’t believe it.

Then later: _Back there- under the mistletoe- you should know how I see you._

The way she put her hand so lightly on the side of his face. The soft surprise of her lips on his.

And then- the drunk woman kissing him roughly and ripping off his hat for everyone to see.

Intellectually, Wade knew that Cora’s kiss had nothing to do with what happened next, but the evening’s events ad rocked him to his core, and he wasn’t exactly operating on his “intellectual” side at the moment.

Now he couldn’t escape the feeling that something terrible was about to happen. Was that real, or was that the PTSD talking? He didn’t want to take a chance. He’d turned the ringer off his phone and hadn’t left the bunker all day. His reflectatine mask had stayed pulled down, and he wasn’t planning on leaving.

Little chance Cora would come by here. She didn’t even know about it. 

God there was so much she didn’t know.

He should have told her. 

_But you didn’t and now here you are, alone again,_ he told himself.

He knew it wasn’t fair to her to just cut her out of his life like this, but he figured it was kinder to her in the long run.

**_BANG BANG BANG_ **

Wade startled at the sound, nearly falling out of his bunk bed.

“Yeah?!”

“Well at least you’re not dead.” Called his ex-wife.

“Cynthia? What the hell are you doing here?” He shouted back.

“Would you open the door so we don’t have to yell?”

Wade quickly changed his reflectatine mask for his ball cap and opened up the bunker door, leaning inside the frame.

“Apparently I’m still your emergency contact. Your work called when you didn’t show up or call, and they couldn’t get through to you. What’s going on?” She sounded concerned but also annoyed.

“Just under the weather’s all.”

“Wade.”

“Something going around.”

She raised her eyebrows but said nothing. It was early evening and it looked like he’d been sleeping in his clothes, but the rings around his eyes said he hadn’t slept at all. She saw the telltale marks on his face from the elastic in his mask. Something had happened. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by his stomach growling loudly.

“Have you eaten today?”

“Told ya. I was sick.”

“Well, me neither. Tell you what, come on up to the house, I’ll order some pizza for both of us and then I’ll get out of your hair.” He wanted to object, but he was starving. Reluctantly he nodded and followed her up.

***

As Cora rang the doorbell to Wade’s house, she realized that she had never been inside. She didn’t have long to think about that, however, before she was surprised when a tall blonde woman answered the door. 

“Oh! I’m sorry. I was looking for Wade Tillman?”

“This is the place.”

“Oh…” Who was this woman? “I didn’t know he had, um, anyone living with him.”

Cynthia smirked.

“He doesn’t, I’m his ex-wife. Let me check: He’s been a little under the weather today. Who can I say is visiting?”

“Cora… his neighbor. Just bringing back some things he left at my dinner party last night.”

Cynthia looked at her and furrowed her brow. Whatever was going on with Wade, the fact that he had - shockingly - attended a dinner party the previous night must have had something to do with it.

Cynthia stepped outside and closed the door behind her.

“Okay what the fuck happened last night?” She asked. Cora blinked and took a step back.

“What d-“

“Wade’s in a bad way. I don’t know how well you know him, but…” She considered how much to say. “This just happens sometimes. He’s been through a lot of shit and sometimes it all comes back at him. He’ll be okay in a day or so. But something set him off. Any idea what?”

Cora’s heart ached. She struggled for words.

“Um… I had a ‘Christmas in June’ dinner and there were a few people over. One girl got pretty drunk. She kinda… grabbed him and kissed him under the mistletoe. Then she took his hat and threw it. Everyone saw-“

“The reflectatine. Shit. She kissed him and took off his hat in front of everyone. Well, that’ll do it.”

“I just came to tell him I’m so sorry. I hate the way-“

“Yeah. Well, thanks for bringing this by.” Her tone wa icy as she cut Cora off mid-sentence. She took the stockpot brusquely and turned to go back inside.

“Can I just talk to him?”

Cynthia exhaled heavily.

“Why?”

“I just- He’s my friend and I want to apologize. Can you just tell him I’m here?”

“Sorry, he’s not up for visitors.”

“Oh… well, there’s a gift for him in there. Just tell him…” What could she possibly say? “Tell him I said Merry Christmas.”

***

Cynthia was right- Wade hadn’t eaten or slept in a day. He had nodded off after dinner and was on his way to a solid night’s sleep when the sound of voices woke him. Cynthia was talking to someone right outside the front door. He pulled on his bathrobe and changed his mask for a ball cap. By the time he came out Cynthia was back in, holding-

_Oh shit._

She was holding the stockpot he’d left at Cora’s

“Was that my neighbor you was talking to?”

“Yeah- Carla, Cara, something like that?”

“It’s Cora. You too have a nice chat?”

There was an edge to his question.

Suddenly, the scene felt very familiar. Wade’s traumatic experience on 11/2 included being publicly humiliated by a woman and then stumbling onto a scene of carnage she couldn’t imagine. The two events had become linked for him, and when his anxiety flared up, it tended to manifest in his interactions with her.

It wasn’t personal. She knew that. But how often during their marriage had she nursed him out of a bad episode only to face sarcasm and suspicion? 

It used to hurt.

Now, it just made her feel exhausted. It was time to leave.

“We did. She said there’s a Christmas present for you in that stockpot.” She was gathering her things to leave while she spoke. 

“You tell her anything?”

She gave him a look.

“Course not. I wouldn’t tell anyone your business. But… she cares about you, Wade. Or she says she does. I think _you_ should tell her.”

Wade walked Cynthia towards the door.

“Thanks for dinner, Cynthia

Cynthia paused before she left and looked at him.

“She seems really nice.”

Wade gave a half-hearted smile.

“Yeah. She is.”

“You know, you might want to take down my picture at some point.”

He laughed drily.

As the door closed behind Cynthia he lifted the stockpot lid. There was a small box and a card. In the box was a cactus in a little pot. 

The card read: 

_Dear Wade,_

_I didn’t know what to get you then I saw this: it’s guarded, resilient, but there's something about it that is perfectly charming... just like you. It’s even got your cute scratchy whiskers._

_I’m glad we met, neighbor._

_Your friendship has been a bright spot in a pretty tough year. XOXO,_

_-Cora_

He looked at it for a while and smiled. What a weird fucking gift. He couldn’t wait to find the right spot for it. The line at the end about her “tough year” reminded him that Cora had wanted to talk about something. He’d been so wrapped up in his own shit he’d forgotten. 

_Guess it’s too late now._

Then again… He read the card again.

Maybe he wasn’t giving her a chance.

Maybe he’d call her in a couple of days. They could really talk once he was back to his usual self.

He decided to bring the cactus up to work where he could see it more often.

***

Two days later, Tina stopped by the restaurant again. As before, her visit was planned down to the minute. It was the day before she was supposed to meet Seth. She walked slowly to the table. Before she could even speak, Tina cut her off.

“They know. I don’t know how, but they do.” There was an edge of rising panic in her voice.

“So… do we just lay low for a while and try again or what?”

“Tomorrow’s off. You need to lay low. I probably shouldn’t even be here but it was important to Seth to warn you.”

She started to leave but Cora caught her arm.

“So it’s just… off? And what about Seth? We just leave him there? You know what they’ll do-“

Tina brushed off her hand roughly.

“I know. I hate it, too, but it’s his decision.”

With that, Tina pulled her coat tightly around herself and left.

Fuck.

What now? Had she come all this way just to give up when they were so close? Cora felt helpless. 

***

Some hours later, Wade was admiring the cactus on his desk at work. It was cheery, but odd enough that is still seemed like “him.” He was about to dive into some paperwork that needed finishing when Sister Night came rushing up to his desk. 

“Glass- are you listening to the dispatch? I think there’s a house fire on your street.”

“What?!” He asked. He’d worried about mis-wiring his EDS tech before. He’d never forgive himself if someone got hurt or lost their home because of something he’d done.

“I don’t know if it’s your place or not, but you might want to get down there.”

He wasted no more time.

***

Once he was on his street, it was clear his house was fine. The fire was coming from farther down the street. He was momentarily relieved until he realized-

It was Cora’s house.

His heart pounded. The fire was blazing hot and high: this was arson, no question. It had probably been burning for at least 30 minutes.

_What had she wanted to tell him at Christmas?_

His heart sank as he realized that Cora’s car was parked on the side. She had been home.

If she’d left to walk Bruiser, she would have been home by now, but there was no sign of either.

She told him once that she had “control issues” about other people driving. He didn’t ask questions because it didn’t seem like she wanted to elaborate, and he understood what it was to have “issues.”

She always drove whenever she left her house, unless she was walking Bruiser. 

Always.

And there was no way either of them could have survived this if they were home. As if to punctuate that fact, a front window exploded out with a loud _POP_ and a gush of hot flame that nearly knocked Wade back, thirty feet away.

Firefighters had just arrived onsite.

Wade watched, helplessly, as they worked to extinguish the flame. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What is this, a New Year’s miracle? Two chapters in one week!
> 
> bear with me- there’s a few flashbacks and a bunch of time hopping here- it’s important plot stuff and hopefully fills in some blanks, and I wanted to get all of cora’s past sketched in in one chapter. I didn’t include wade’s backstory because it’s all in the show... 
> 
> Please let me know if anything is confusing with the timeline. Okay that’s all. Comments always appreciated!

Wade stared at the firefighters working with a sick feeling in his stomach. He was only vaguely aware as other cars came and went. Mostly other police officers. 

One car came screeching to a stop just feet behind him, and the sound managed to shake Wade out of his stupor. He turned to see Cora’s friend Abby running towards the fire.

“What in the _fuck?!”_ She yelled. Wade didn’t have the heart to approach her. He was glad that he was wearing his full mask.

Behind her, another figure slowly, wordlessly emerged from the car. She stood still and just stared at the fire. She seemed more angry than surprised, like this had been inevitable somehow.

He would know her red hair and determined eyes - even the way she stood - anywhere. 

It was Cora.

Seeing her felt like he was coming up for air. He didn’t know how she was alive. For the moment, he didn’t care.

***

_(Flashback: Cora, 8 years old)_

_Children have a tendency to assume that their experience is universal. For Cora (or Caroline, as she was known then), long afternoons of running and playing with her cousin and other kids in the seemingly endless woods and prairies_ around _their town felt like something everyone did. There weren’t playgrounds or libraries or parks, and certainly not video games or toys, so she didn’t know to miss those things._

_She assumed that everyone went to school in two buildings: one for boys and one for girls, and all ages together._

_She also assumed that everyone went to church every night and for hours on Sunday, and that church was a scary place that girls would leave crying in the middle of the day. Cora’s mother told her never to go there alone, but she wouldn’t say why. The Leader would talk about hell and Armageddon and the dangers of “the modern world,” and Cora believed him, but she didn’t know what that meant. The Leader was nice to Cora when he wasn’t yelling from the pulpit. He would sneak her candies when her mother wasn’t looking._

_There was one TV in town, and it was owned by her uncle Billy, her mother’s brother. No one else knew about it or Billy would get in big trouble. Billy’s son Seth was Cora’s best friend. Sometimes when Billy got sick - which he did a lot - he would lock himself for hours in his room. This gave Seth and Cora more freedom than other kids in their town. Eventually they figured out how to turn on the tv using rabbit ear antennas, and on a good day they could make out one or two scratchy channels. It was amazing. They saw a world where women and men both worked and went to school and drove cars and went wherever they wanted._

_Was this the “modern world”? It didn’t seem too bad to Cora._

_***_

(Present day)

Officers at the scene interpreted Cora’s stillness as shock, and guided her to sit in the back of a patrol car while medical help was on its way.The flames were mostly extinguished now. She wondered what had survived.

She had a lot of questions. Was this meant to be a hit? Or was this a warning? She didn’t think for a second that it was an accident.

A masked officer opened the door and sat in the front seat. She tried to ignore him as he gave a deep sigh.

“So I’m just supposed to sit here and watch my house burn down?”

“I’m just glad you’re okay.” His voice was unmistakable, but she’d never heard it tremble before.

“ _WADE?!_ You’re a fucking _cop?!”_

She was practically yelling.

 _Shit,_ he thought. He turned around but didn’t lift his mask.

“Call me Looking Glass. You’re not supposed to know who I am.”

“Fine… okay. But your voice-“

“Shit, Cora, I really don’t give a fuck about that. I saw your car at your house and I thought you was dead.” He had raised his voice- She’d never heard him do that before.

She was silent for a few seconds before responding, quietly.

“Abby and I went out for a drink after work. We left my car here. She insisted.”

“I’m actually more concerned about the fire than I am about your carpool arrangements. I have to say you don’t seem terribly upset by this.” He still seemed agitated.

“Remember when i said I wanted to talk about something? I have a feeling this is related to that.”

“Care to enlighten me?”

“Wait- Where the fuck is Bruiser?!”

“Cora, hang on-“

Wade started to respond but she’d already opened the door and was running straight towards the fire calling her dog’s name.

***

_Flashback: Cora, 14 years old._

_Cora and Seth spent every spare minute they could together, and it was starting to get noticed by the Leader._

_Cora’s mother, Liz, just told them to be careful. She regretted following her husband’s suggestion to move to this god forsaken place, but it was too late for her. It was a safe place for her brother to hide from the world, and her husband’s drinking was not an issue where there was no alcohol._

_The only thing she wanted now was to get her daughter - and maybe her nephew - out of here before… just before._

_The Elders thought they were “courting” but Liz had overheard Seth confide in her daughter: he didn’t know the word for it, but he was gay._

_Yes, this place would be dangerous for both him and her strong-willed daughter._

_She’d found a network of people who had escaped this place. It was a risk, but she believed she could trust them._

_She didn’t have a choice._

_***_

(Present day)

“Bruiser!” She called his name until her voice was hoarse, running up and down the block. Finally, she sank to her knees. She thought she had steeled herself against tough losses long ago. But she couldn’t forgive herself if he’d gotten hurt, or-

“Cora,” said a quiet voice from behind her- Wade’s. He seemed back to his usual stoic self.

She wiped her eyes and looked at him- still wearing his shiny mask.

“You got someplace you can stay tonight?”

It hadn’t even occurred to her. Abby was sharing an apartment with two other people, and Marc and Steve lived 45 minutes away. She didn’t know them well enough to ask them to come all this way and pick her up. She’d have to find a hotel.

Slowly she shook her head: _no._

“I know things have been… _I’ve_ been… kinda distant. But I have an extra room. You can stay however long you like.”

She considered it. She wasn’t in a great mind frame for making decisions.

“Bruiser…” she rasped. “If he got out before… then he might come back here. I’d be more likely to see him if I’m just down the road.”

Wade wanted to agree but he didn’t want to raise her hopes. He remembered how stubborn she’d been to accept his help on the day they met.

“You can stay just for tonight. Figure out what you want to do next. It’s your call, but maybe you shouldn’t be alone tonight.”

After a few seconds, she eventually nodded. She looked up at him. Whatever else he might be to her, two things were suddenly of the utmost importance. He was 1) someone she could trust and 2) a police officer. 

“I’ve got a lot of shit I need to tell you, though.” He held out a hand to help her up.

“Yeah, well, same here.”

***

_Flashback: Cora, 20 years old_

_Cora had escaped the - commune? doomsday cult? radical separatist compound? It was all of those things, now that she had those words to describe it._

_Cora had escaped the place where her family lived five years ago. It was the only home she knew from age 5 - 15. She’d left a week before she was supposed to “marry” the Leader, a 59 year old man who already had 7 wives. Her mom had arranged everything for her escape. She was supposed to leave with her cousin Seth, but at the last minute their plan was compromised and he had chosen to stay back and cause a distraction, so that she could leave._

_She promised him she would never forget him. She would help him when she could._

_The people who had gotten her out had helped her move hundreds of miles away and gotten her enrolled in school. She was way behind in everything at first but she remembered that if she could make a successful life, then she could help Seth and other people back there. She hustled like hell and by the time she graduated, she was at the top of her class._

_She could have studied anywhere but all she could think of was becoming a chef. The status of the cooks back in her home community allowed them freedom others didn’t have. The cooks in the homeless shelters were some of the first friends she made after she left. She took time to talk to cafeteria workers, pizza shop cooks, and baristas wherever she went. Food created a feeling of comfort, safety, and home. She wanted to learn everything she could._

_But first things were first. She was studying business at Yale. That was a degree she could use in any field. After that she would go to Paris to study culinary arts._

_But tonight- she was a guest speaker at a fundraiser for one of the homeless charities that had helped her at her lowest._

_What would she tell them? That, even with their help, she’d done things she wasn’t proud of to survive? No. This was a “rainbows and lollipops” crowd._

_So that’s what she would give them._

_She wondered if she’d ever make a friend who didn’t know about her past._

***

(Present day)

“Holy shit, Wade,” she said quietly as he finished his story. 

“So, that’s the long and short of it,” he concluded as he brought her a cup of hot tea. She sipped it, unsure of what to say next. 

She’d been looking around his house while he told her his story. It was covered in wood paneling and odd knickknacks. There was a picture of his ex-wife on the wall. It looked frozen in time.

His experience on 11/2 was intense and scarring. She was trying to process it all. She suddenly understood why Hailey’s Christmas shenanigans had thrown him so badly. She ached for the boy he was and the wounds he still carried.

But what the fuck could she say? Everything felt inadequate.

“Good tea,” she said finally.

“Peppermint,” he replied cheerily, taking a seat next to her on the couch.

“Wade- I don’t know what to say. I’m so sorry that happened to you.”

He took a deep breath in and out. 

“Yep. It’s a real mindfuck, I won’t lie. But I’m glad I told you... If that makes any sense.”

Cora reached over and squeezed his hand.

“I’m glad, too.”

Sitting this close to him, she noticed that his shirt still smelled like smoke from her house burning.

What a weird fucking day.

***

_Flashback: Cora, 26 years old._

_Cora had just returned to the states after six months in Paris opening a new restaurant. She worked closely with the head chef, and he had recommended her for a new bakery in San Francisco. She was settling in comfortably and gaining a reputation._

_Everything was going according to plan._

_One day, a letter came for her in the mail. There was no return address:_

Dear Cora,

I hope this message finds its intended recipient. If not, please disregard.

Things are mostly the same here, although events at church have been more active.

I’m happy to hear about your recent successes. It was easy to find you after seeing your photo in the paper.

I hope that you remember the promise you made all those years ago. I would like to discuss it with you soon.

All my love,

-S.

_A cold chill ran up Cora’s spine. He was telling her that things were ramping up, which was worrisome. He was warning her how easy it had been for him to find her address, and he was asking for help._

_She hadn’t forgotten about him, but after a few years of trying to send messages (unsuccessfully), she had given up. But now, this letter had lit a fire._

_She would set a plan in motion to get Seth - and anyone else who wanted - safely out of that hellhole._

***

(Present day)

They’d been sitting in silence for a few minutes. Finally Wade spoke.

“Alright, you’re up.”

“You really want to hear my story?” Cora asked. She’d never told anyone her full story, ever. Even during all those fundraiser speeches, she’d given a sanitized version.

Wade set down his cup and looked at her.

“I do,” he said quietly, giving her the full intensity of his attention.

“Okay,” she started. “But it’s kind of long.”

“I got nowhere to be.”

“Here goes nothing,” she said with a tense smile. “Okay. So… when I was five, my parents, me, my uncle, and cousin moved to a closed religious compound out in the country, about 40 miles away from here…”

***

_Flashback: Cora, 32 years old. Six months prior to present day._

_By this point in her culinary career, Cora could write her ticket anywhere. She’d helped to launch a half dozen acclaimed restaurants and had received glowing press within the industry. Many of her colleagues were pretty surprised when she picked - of all places - Tulsa, Oklahoma._

_She had stayed in contact with Seth for the past few years. He wanted to leave but in the meantime he was happy to stay where he was and help kids escape. Two to four a year. Cora wondered what the church Elders thought of the disappearances. Cora and Seth would communicate through letters written in an oblique code, passed between intermediaries. She was proud of him but worried about the risks he was taking. She knew it would soon be time to get him out for good._

_She moved to the area a few months later, living out of a hotel until a realtor helped her find a modest place. She wouldn’t be here long - a year or two at the most - so she didn’t need much, but she preferred to buy instead of rent. Her realtor assured her that it was a quiet neighborhood where residents kept to themselves._

_Cora visited the house a week or so before closing to take a leisurely stroll. The realtor was right: the street was quiet and peaceful. The houses had big rolling lawns. One neighbor had a rather large storm shelter - it almost looked like a nuclear fallout bunker. She wondered if there was a high tornado risk._

_As she was getting ready to leave, she noticed a large black dog - maybe a German Shepherd mix - following her._

_“Hey there,” she said. The dog walked straight to her. He had obviously been stray for a while. “You got a home, buddy?” In answer, he pressed his head against her thigh._

_“Aww, it’s okay. I know what that’s like.” He looked up at her and wagged his tail. She scratched behind his ears. No one would accuse Cora of being over-sentimental, but one look into those eyes and she was a goner. From a distance he looked intimidating, but those eyes held nothing but affection._

_“You’re a good boy, aren’t you? Aren’t you? You wanna come and live with me?” She suddenly realized that she must look ridiculous in front of her new neighbors, but no one was outside except for one thin older man in a ball cap - the owner of the fallout bunker - who was pretending not to watch her talk to this dog._

_It was probably time to go. She could take the dog to a vet, see if he belonged to anyone. Just give him a place to stay for a few days while she looked for his family. That’s all, just a few days._

_“Come on, fella, let’s go!” She said in an animated tone. The dog leapt toward her and left what would become a pretty gnarly bruise._

_Bruiser._

_That would be a good name. If she was going to keep him...which she wasn’t._

***

(Present day)

Cora had finished her story and studied Wade for his reaction.

“Damn,” he said after a beat. “I think you’d give me a run for my money when it comes to fucked-up formative years.”

“Great. What do we win? Free therapy?”

He smirked at that and tried to process what she’d told him.

“So I take it you think that your house fire might’ve had something to do with these compound folks.”

“Yeah. Maybe, I don’t know. Just a gut reaction.”

“So what’s happening now? With this Tina and the extraction plan?”

“I’m not sure. She’ll probably send me a signal in a few days and we will regroup, but-“

She stopped talking as Wade suddenly stood and squinted. He turned to her.

“Listen- you hear that?”

Cora strained her ears. After a second or two, she heard it. 

A bark she would know anywhere. 

Both of them ran outside.

“Bruiser!”

He heard her calling and ran towards her voice. Cora heard his footsteps and ran towards him until he leapt toward her and the two collided. She sank to her knees and hugged him tight. His fur was covered in dirt and soot- had he been looking for her in the ashes of their home?

His tail was wagging at a blurry speed and Cora showered him with praise and full-body scratches.

In the meantime, Wade had made it over to the two of them, slowly sinking to one knee as he cocked his head to one side.

“What’s this, boy?” he asked, plucking a bit of rolled up paper off of the spikes on his collar. He unrolled the paper carefully. It was a note. 

_Cora-_

_I’m a friend of your cousin. Leader sent me here to kill you but I want to help so I waited until you were gone to start the fire. The two little girls Seth is trying to get out are my nieces. It’s going to be a couple weeks at least before we can try again. Sit tight and we’ll send you a message when we can._

“Good boy, Bruiser,” said Wade, giving the dog a good scratch behind his ears, “Looks like you fetched us some evidence.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTE: if you want to see a great short video (less than three minutes) with actor Tim Blake Nelson giving a tour of Looking Glass’ bunker, copy and paste the url below into your browser...
> 
> https://youtu.be/mygeztTEwis

Cora came to the station later to give a statement. If she found Wade intriguing before seeing him at work, she was thoroughly fascinated now. He was relaxed, confident, and clearly skilled at observation and analysis, yet he spoke with an informality that made it all feel effortless. 

He was, in a word, impressive.

Which was good, because watching him kept her mind off of the fact that she was fucking exhausted.

After hours of paperwork and interviews, she was now waiting at Wade’s desk to go home. She grinned a little when she saw the cactus she’d given him. 

Then she remembered that her “home” was a burned out ruin…

“Well, for the moment they think you’re dead,” Wade told her, taking a seat. “That gives us some flexibility. They ain’t gonna hide as well if they think no one is looking.”

“I don’t know. They’re pretty good at staying under the radar. Besides if I just disappear then Tina and Seth can’t communicate with me either.”

“So we’ll work fast. Just give us a couple days and we’ll see what we can find. Two days, tops.”

She was skeptical, but she agreed. He sounded so confident. Besides, it might be nice to have a couple of days to lay low.

***

Wade worked overtime for the next few days following every lead and every potential lead, but the trail had seemingly gone cold. Most of Cora’s contacts who were still connected to the compound had given her fake names or first names only. 

He badly wanted to find something: a name, an address, a description, some evidence of a crime. But this guy had covered his tracks. Wade felt like he’d let Cora down.

She assured him that she often went months without news from anyone there. Patience was the watchword for these people: they were playing a long game. 

Still, Cora noticed and appreciated his extra efforts. On his longer days she’d leave him some fresh baked cookies for when he got home. She liked cooking and baking for people, and Wade was more than happy to oblige, although he joked more than once that if she kept feeding him so well he might not pass his next police physical. 

While the Tulsa police continued to investigate the fire and the compound, there didn’t seem to be any benefit to Cora pretending to be dead beyond those first days. Her returning to work might even draw them out, she figured. Wade wasn’t sure if he liked that, using herself as bait, but he knew it really wasn’t his decision. He could also tell by the volume of cookies coming out of the kitchen that she was getting a little stir crazy, and she missed her work.

So, back to work she went.

On her first shift back, she was working with Kurt. He was on the outs with Hailey again, which was just as well as far as Cora was concerned. 

He gave her a tight hug and a “welcome back” and then jumped right into pastry questions, which she was more than happy to oblige. 

The morning rush flew by.

As they cleaned up and prepared for lunch, Kurt laughed a little to himself.

“I guess you dodged a bullet twice last week.” He said.

“How so?”

“Oh the fire, but also- That old nutcase who came to your party.”

Cora could feel the color rise in her cheeks but she still wasn’t sure she was hearing him correctly.

“Wait- what do you mean?”

“Oh come on. It was pretty obvious he had a thing for you. I just mean, it’s a good thing you found out about the tin foil hat stuff before it went anywhere.”

“Jesus, Kurt,” she said, clearly annoyed. “He was there on 11/2, you know. You don’t know what he’s been through. But he’s not a ‘kook’ for god’s sake. He’s actually a really nice guy.”

“Hey, okay, okay! Didn’t mean to offend. I just mean it’s good that you didn’t get involved with someone who’s got those… _issues.”_

 _“_ Kurt, drop it.” She said with a stern tone. “He’s my friend.”

“Okay,” Kurt said, chuckling as he left the kitchen. “I see. Your _‘friend’._ ” He made air quotes when he said the word friend and Cora frowned.

He was wrong about who Wade was, and he was wrong about how Wade felt. She’d made her feelings clear to him and he hadn’t given any indication that those feelings were mutual. Now that she was staying in his house, she had even more reason to shove those feelings back.

The last thing she wanted was a reminder that he didn’t want her.

***

Wade had taken to showering and getting ready almost entirely in his bunker. It had been a full two weeks of her living there and he still hadn’t shown it to her. But she knew what it was, and she didn’t push him about it. That was something nice about her that he noticed: she never tried to push him or change him or talk him into something he didn’t want to do. She took him as he was. Maybe that had something to do with the way she’d grown up - she understood a thing or two about trauma.

This morning in the shower, he couldn’t help scenes from that dinner party under the mistletoe from playing in his mind.

Her kiss…

The way she looked at him…

Her hand resting lightly on his face… her soft kiss.

_Hi, Wade_

Her soft… lips…

Her body against his… what it would be like if… she… oh god _oh god oh-_

_GOD..._

He came with a shudder and gasp in his own hand. It never took long when he was thinking of Cora. He knew he’d missed his chance with her and he probably shouldn’t entertain these kinds of thoughts.

He wondered if she ever thought about him that way.

***

Six more weeks passed with Cora staying at Wade’s. Her homeowners insurance was, remarkably, covering her rebuild, and her house was on its way to being habitable again. Luckily some of the frame and all of the foundation was intact, so the rebuild was relatively quick.

Unfortunately, they didn’t get to spend much time together, as their working schedules were opposite. Cora worked early mornings and Wade worked later. Wade was already gone to work when Cora got home, and Cora was fast asleep when Wade did.

Cora had started making food in large batches: lasagne, casseroles. Something he could grab a little of, easily, at the end of his shift. He would leave her notes every night complimenting her food. It was sweet, but she missed talking to Wade for more than a few minutes in passing.

One weekend, a loud thunderstorm woke Cora in the middle of the night. She felt the bed for Bruiser - he was terrified of storms - but he wasn’t there. Her heart leapt into her throat.

“Bruiser?” Nothing. 

She walked around, turning on lights as she went. She walked into the living room and heard a whimper. There he was, on the couch, sitting next to Wade.

He whimpered a little more loudly as Cora approached, and Wade startled awake.

“Hey, stranger.”

“Oh shit,” he mumbled sleepily, rubbing his face. He had his silver mask stretched over the top of his head. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to fall asleep here.”

“It _is_ your house,” she laughed. “You don’t have to apologize for sleeping in it. Besides it’s nice to see you. We’ve been missing each other.”

“You are right about that. I saw you more when we lived in different houses.”

“How have you been?”

“Ah, you know. ‘Bout the same.” He gave her a lopsided grin. He was cute when he was sleepy. Then again she found him cute most of the time. “You?”

“‘Bout the same here, too.”

“Looks like Bruiser here doesn’t like storms too much - he was shivering when I got in.” Bruiser looked at Wade as he spoke and put his head in Wade’s lap. Another thunderclap rang out and Wade patted his fur with slow, gentle movements.

“Yeah. Poor thing. He hates them.”

She looked at Wade, slouched over on his couch in an awkward position as he tried to soothe her big scared dog. It was very sweet, but it didn’t look comfortable. He started to stretch and put on his shoes, getting ready to make his way back to the bunker.

“I guess it’s time for me to vamoose.”

It was pouring rain outside. She hated to think of Wade walking through that just to sleep in a bunker. This _was_ his house, after all.

“Wade? You don’t have to go anywhere.”

He gave her a questioning look but said nothing. Suddenly she felt herself blush. 

“Come on, guys. There’s a whole bed in here. Room for all of us.”

Was it her imagination or did Wade spring to his feet extremely quickly at that?

Wade carried Bruiser and placed him in the middle of the queen sized mattress. They fell asleep with Bruiser in between them and the storm still raging.

Wade was used to sleeping in his bunker. Actually, he’d slept there exclusively since Cynthia had left. He decided not to mention that to Cora.

They woke up with Wade spooning Cora and Bruiser on the floor, softly whimpering. Wade’s arm was draped over her, his hand resting at her belly, and her hand over his. It was nice.

She wanted to linger and enjoy it, but Bruiser started barking to go out. She tried to exit the bed gently and not wake up Wade.

Was it her imagination or did he give her a gentle squeeze before she got up?

***

On the same morning, all the way across town, Cora’s cousin Seth walked briskly a few blocks from a metered parking spot to a bank, as he had done every other week for the past few years. Seth had a slim build, prematurely white hair that made people think he was as older, and a deep scar across the left side of his face. His bodyguard - or chaperone, he wasn’t sure - was struggling to keep up with his pace. He didn’t care.

Seth was taking the compound’s weekly deposits to the bank. As the CFO of the community, he had the rare ability to leave the compound, but he was always accompanied by at least one other person. He (and his guard) met privately with bank managers every other week. 

As they were ushered into a private meeting room, Seth shook the hand of the same woman he always met with. Her name tag said Kelly but Cora only knew her as “Tina,” the woman who brought news from Seth.

The three sat down and started to go over the compound’s recent receipts and deposits.

Kelly swallowed and tried not to react when she saw the sharp increase in semiautomatic guns purchased by the group. What the fuck were they planning?

After about ten minutes, the guard looked uncomfortable. A minute or two later he excused himself from the room.

“Thank god,” Kelly said. “We haven’t had a chance to talk the last few times.”

“I know. I took preemptive measures this time.”

Kelly raised an eyebrow. “Preemptive measures?”

“Ex-lax in his coffee. Finally got the timing right today,” Seth said. They both chuckled briefly.

“How’s Cora?”

“I haven’t been to see her since the fire, but she’s staying with her neighbor now - the one on the police force. I think it’s a good thing.”

“I can’t believe Butch took that chance to get a note to her… I’m glad it worked but, shit.”

“I know,” Kelly said darkly. “It could have blown things up for us.”

“Here” Seth said, passing her a Manila envelope. “There’s a letter for Cora and some more documents to add to the evidence for whenever we’re ready... Can you copy them right now? I need to bring them back with me.”

“Jesus, Seth, talk about a risk.” She gripped the envelope tightly and headed down the hallway to the copier. Her hands were shaking.

She came back in a minute or two and Seth tucked the envelope back in his tote bag.

“We have to try to get the girls out again,” he said. “Soon. Do you think you can get word to Cora in a day or so?”

Kelly frowned.

“I can _try_.”

He just looked at her for a second.

“Yeah, okay, I’ll do it.”

“Good.” He lowered his voice as the guard was returning to the room. “It will have to be a week from tomorrow.”

***

The day after the storm was a day off for both Cora and Wade. The first they’d had together since she moved in. 

Wade was finally giving Cora a tour of his bunker. He kept trying to gauge her reactions as he showed her around: the bed, the EDS alarm system, his squid photography. He kept expecting her to get freaked out. She took it all remarkably in stride.

That made him skeptical.

“You don’t have to do that, you know.” He told her.

“Do what?”

“Pretend that all of this isn’t real fucking weird.”

She looked at him with raised eyebrows.

“I was raised in a cult, homeless for a year and a half, and that I’ve been living like a nomad for the past few years, traveling for work. I don’t have the best barometer for ‘weird'. All this seems… understandable. And it helps you to be less anxious, so I think it’s good. People live in all different kinds of places.”

She had a way of doing that: cutting through his defensiveness without making him feel like some sad, scared old man.

“Well, this is where I sleep - most nights anyway.” He looked a little shy as he said that. Was he ashamed? “So now you’ve seen everything.

She walked up to him until she was an inch or two away.

“Hey. Thank you. For letting me stay for so long. and for showing me all this. For trusting me enough to show me.”

They held each other’s gaze for a few seconds. Finally he looked away and shook his head.

“Ah, don’t worry about it. I should’ve told you all this shit months ago. I just liked you getting to know me first.”

“Nothing’s changed. You’re still the same guy, Wade.”

He sat down heavily on a couch. He had thought a lot about what he wanted to say next.

“There for a minute, when I saw that house fire, I really thought you was gone. I thought you-“ His voice cracked. He paused and looked away from her.

“And then I thought about our last conversation before that. I pushed you away because I was afraid of what you’d think of me.”

Cora watched him as he spoke.

“But when I thought I’d lost you for good, I realized that none of that shit matters. I know I keep people at arm’s length. I’ve got my issues and I’m not an easy person to be around. 

But my point is: I care about you, Cora. I don’t wanna do that with you.”

She walked up to where he sat. He stood to meet her. They were inches apart again. Her heart pounded as she looked at him straight in the eyes.

“Well, what _do_ you want to do with me?” 

His eyes were wide. He looked vulnerable, but it was Wade who leaned in for the kiss this time.

She kissed him back.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and the back of his neck. She hummed softly as their kiss lingered, and he pulled her close. 

“That. That’s what I want. I want you, Cora. Maybe I’ve waited too long already but-“

Cora stopped him with a kiss. He breathed in her scent while she kissed him back. They held tight to each other and sank down onto the couch. Her hands traveled over his t shirt as he pushed her gently back. Both of their hearts were pounding. 

When Cora spoke again she was breathless.

“Do you want to, um, go back in the house?” She asked.

Wade blinked. _Was she asking-?_

“Wade? We don’t have to. I wouldn’t want to push-“

“Yes. I mean: _YES_. I do.” A buzzing sound interrupted him. He looked down at his pager- it was an ‘URGENT’ page from lwork. _Fuck._ He had to go. Now. 

“Cora, I’m sorry - you can’t believe how sorry - but I have to go to work now.”

“ _Now?”_ To his utter amazement, she looked as disappointed as he felt.

He placed a hand on the small of her back and pulled her to him, giving her one more lingering kiss before he left. 

This had _better_ be really important...


	7. Chapter 7

Reluctantly, Wade had left Cora’s arms. He headed to the station a little light-headed. He couldn’t believe that he had actually kissed her.

He couldn’t believe how passionately she kissed him back.

And then they had almost… 

This had better be  _ really  _ important.

For now he had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Whenever a woman showed him affection, it was almost a guarantee that something awful was about to happen.

***

Cora stood in the bunker for several minutes after Wade left. She really thought he wasn’t interested in her… 

Apparently, she was dead fucking wrong. She absent-mindedly ran her fingers over her lips. She could still feel the pressure of his lips and a tickle from his whiskers. His hand on the small of her back.

They should talk later. She’d make it a point to be up when he got home.

_ And then maybe she’d keep him up for the rest of the night _ , she thought to herself with a giggle.

She hoped his “urgent work situation” would be resolved soon.

***

When Wade found out why he had been paged, he wanted to turn right around and leave. But he wouldn’t do that, and he was glad he didn’t.

He was paged because a truck parked downtown had received a parking ticket. 

Normally, no big deal. But when the parking officer ran the plates, he found it was registered to someone listed as a board member for the Brotherhood of Divine Light and Peace: the “religion” that ostensibly ran Cora’s childhood home.

After Cora’s statement, the TPD had developed a keen interest in the compound that lie just beyond the city limits. Turns out, their members were implicated in a good number of crimes within Tulsa proper. 

Wade knew that the only way his police department would be able to reach the organization was through these minor crimes, and not the more serious offenses going on within their closed perimeter. As a consummate professional, he wasn’t about to go rogue. However, some of the stories Cora had told about her childhood had left him fuming. He would not hate the feeling of bringing these assholes to justice, however he could.

He found the pickup truck easily, parked where it had been when it had received a ticket. He acted nonchalant as he stooped to his knees beside the vehicle, slapped a tracking device on its undercarriage, and quickly stood again and kept walking. The tracking devices were pretty new technology but apparently almost foolproof, from what he’d read. 

_ Well,  _ he thought,  _ We’ll see what we can see. _

He walked back to sit in his car, keeping the truck in view. About twenty minutes later, two men approached and got inside. One was large and muscular with a resting scowl. The other was tall and thin with hair that seemed too white for his age. Wade watched them get in the car and leave. He wouldn’t follow them yet: he’d wait and let the tracking device do its job. 

***

A few days later, Cora was at work walking over to talk to “Tina.” She hadn’t been able to talk to Wade yet since their kiss in the bunker. 

“Four days. This is our last chance.” Tina said without looking up from the menu. Cora hadn’t even spoken yet.

“Okay. Same people? Seth and two girls?”

“Yeah. And this will be the last time you’ll see me.”

“Wait- what?” Cora asked, shocked. Now Tina looked up at her with a skeptical expression.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to miss me?”

“What about everyone else? There are like 300, 400 people on that compound. A quarter of those are kids. Plus Seth’s last letter said they are stockpiling weapons - We have to-”

“Shh! Jesus, Cora. I know. Look, I have to go because after this, my cover will be blown. But you’re right.  _ Someone _ needs to bring them down…” she gave Cora a pointed look.

“Who…  _ me?” _

“Why not? You know them, you know the compound layout and you know some of the people. Those of us who left - we’re the only ones who really get what goes on in there. We’re the only ones who give a shit about the girls who are still in there. I’m not talking about one or two or three people at a time anymore. I’m talking about bringing down the Elders and Leader: dismantling the whole fake religion and getting everyone out.” She was holding a thick manila envelope. As she spoke, she tucked it in her tote bag.

“Okay, so if I say yes - and I’m not saying that yet - what would I need to do?” 

Tina gestured to her to have a seat.

Cora was seriously considering the offer. She was done with the slow and cautious approach. There were lives at stake and she’d made a promise years ago to help other people who were where she was.

By the time she left for the day, her hands were shaking, but she had found her resolve. She was ready to take this fight to where it had all started.

***

Cora heard the front door lock click open and set down her coffee. The two had been on opposite schedules again, ever since their kiss, but Cora couldn’t wait.

Neither could Wade. He smiled to see her still awake.

“Howdy,” he said.

“Hey, Wade!” she answered cheerily. She ran to greet him. She gave him a big, tight hug and a quick peck on the lips. He blinked a few times and straightened his cap.

“Well! Nice to see you, too.”

Cora wanted to talk with Wade about what their kiss in the bunker, how they felt about each other, and how they hoped their relationship might proceed.

But once the two locked eyes, all conversation was out the window. They wrapped their arms around each other and kissed as they made their way to the couch. Somehow they ended up with Cora straddling Wade. All of a sudden, as they kissed, Wade found flashes of his past coming back to him. He had to tell her what was going on.

“Cora, wait. I have to tell you something.”

“Okay. You talk and I’ll keep doing this.” She started nibbling on one of his earlobes.

“Cora, I -  _ oh sweet lord  _ \- I’m serious.”

_ Not now. _

A pretty girl leading him by the hand.

_ No, stop it, Wade. This is Cora. _

Flirting with him. Taking off his clothes.

_ Stay in the present, Wade. _

Being left all alone.

_ No.  _

And then-

_ This isn’t that. _

Bodies everywhere. So much blood.

_ Stop. _

Wade left all alone in the middle of that-

“Stop, dammit!” Wade yelled, more at himself than at her. It was the loudest she’d ever heard him speak.

Cora froze, then slowly stood up and watched him, waiting for him to say something. 

Wade slumped forward and hung his head. When he spoke again, it was much softer.

“Why in the  _ fuck  _ would a nice, pretty girl like you want to spend one second with a pathetic paranoid old man?”

“Wade- what happened? Talk to me.” The steadiness in her voice - no alarm or anger - was soothing.

He exhaled heavily.

“You remember all that stuff I told you - about 11/2.”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Sometimes… I get flashbacks. Kissing, any kind of affection, being…  _ close  _ with women: That can trigger my PTSD. Not all the time, but… sometimes.”

She watched him for another moment, then slowly sat down beside him.

“I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do?”

He shook his head. 

“You know- I get those, too, sometimes. Flashes of stuff that happened back at the compound. I don’t always know what sets them off, but it’s awful. It feels like I’m living through it all over again. Is that what it’s like for you?”

He turned and looked at her and nodded once. She really understood. He reached out his hand to hold hers.

“I’m sorry. This shit was part of what ended my marriage. But I do want to change. I believe I can.” He lowered his voice and looked directly into her eyes. “Please don’t give up on me yet.”

“Oh, Wade,” she sighed. “I won’t. Don’t you know I’m in love with you? You don’t have to change a goddamn thing.”

***

A few hours later Cora woke up with a crick in her neck. She’d fallen asleep with Wade on his couch, lying at an awkward angle. She carefully stood, trying not to wake him, and went to the kitchen to think. She’d wanted to tell him about the upcoming planned rescue and her conversation with Tina but the evening kind of took a turn…

What would he think? Worry gnawed at her.

Behind her she heard some stirring from the couch.

“Babe? You there?”

“Yeah,” she said, smiling at the pet name. “I’m here. Just couldn’t sleep.” It was 2:00am - She’d have to be up in less than three hours. Too late to get into all of this now.

“You want to go to the bedroom?” She asked, then quickly added, “I mean, just to sleep.”

“That sounds nice.”

They fell asleep in each other’s arms.

***

For a few nights, they continued to sleep that way: together in bed, spooning, kissing, but nothing further. It was the longest Wade had spent sleeping out of his bunker in years. Wade didn’t have any more flashbacks during that time:

their chaste sleep was mostly a function of working opposite schedules. Wade would usually get home around 10:30pm and Cora woke at 4:30am. He would slip into bed when she was fast asleep and she would sleepily cuddle against him. In the morning she would wake up as quietly as possible but he would always wake up for a goodbye kiss. 

It wasn’t much, but a few hours of holding each other in their sleep was worlds better than not seeing each other at all.

One morning, when she was off from the bakery, Cora was taking her time getting up, enjoying being held protectively in Wade’s arms. 

She hummed a little noise as the sun peeked through the blinds.

“Morning, love,” he said in a sleepy mumble.

“Morning.”

“You off work today?”

“Yep. I know you have to go in a little bit, but we have a little time together.”

“Good,” he said, squeezing her tight to him for a second and then kissing her shoulder. She rolled over onto her back so that she could look at him. He gave her a lopsided smile and a gentle kiss on the lips. 

God, she wanted Wade. But she sensed he was still a little gun shy after his flashbacks the other night. 

She could wait. 

But god, she wanted him. Being held in his surprisingly strong arms, with his loving gaze- it wasn’t helping.

“You sure do look nice for first thing in the morning.”

“Ha,” she laughed. “I don’t believe you, but that’s nice to hear.”

“You’re gorgeous at any time of day. You know that?”

She wound her arms around his chest and held him close. He slept in a thin shirt and boxers. She found herself distracted thinking of how little clothing separated their bodies. He was distracted thinking of how good she smelled, and the feeling of her breasts pressing against him.

“Cora?” He whispered in her ear.

“Hmm?”

“Would you like it if I… just paid a little attention to you?”

“What do you mean?”

Slowly, carefully, Wade traced his index finger down from her sternum, over her belly, to the hem of her pajama pants. Her breath hitched as he ran his finger along the hem, back and forth.

“Oh! Um… yeah. I’d love it… Are you sure  _ you _ don’t want-?”

“No, no. Not this time. I just want to focus on you.”

She quickly peeled off her shirt and pants. She felt more nervous than she thought she would be to be completely naked in front of him. But Wade looked at her like some precious, breakable gem.

“Cora, you are the most beautiful goddamn thing I have ever seen.” She reached for him and as they started to kiss, his hand traveled down to between her legs.

She parted her thighs and gasped as his fingers brushed her folds. It only took a second or two for him to find her clit, throbbing and wet. She moaned as he started stroking her.

“There you are,” he whispered. 

His touch was gentle as he made small circles around her nub, stopping every few minutes to push one or two fingers inside her. She was so tight, so wet. The way she moved against him… And her moans, god- it sounded like she was about to cum at any time, but he was enjoying this too much, working her like this. He wanted to take his time.

“Oh Wade,” she moaned. “I’m gonna… ohhh-  _ OH!” _

She came and it was like her body erupted: legs tensing and arms clutching to him as she cried out and wave after wave of pleasure rolled through her.

Finally it subsided, and both laid still as they tried to catch their breath.

“My god, Wade…”

“I love you, Cora. I meant to say it the other night but… anyway, I do.”

“I love... you, too.” She painted, still breathless.

***

As she showered a few minutes later, she suddenly realized that she had never told Wade about her conversation with Tina, or her plans to meet up with Seth.  _ Shit _ , she realized.  _ The meetup- that’s tonight.  _

“Wade?” She called, stepping back into the bedroom, wrapped in a towel. “Can we talk for a second?”

“Yeah but not now. I’m sorry, but I need to head into work early.” He was already heading out the door.

“Wait just-“

“I can’t, I’m sorry.. See you later… love.”

***

Wade went in a little early in the hopes that he’d get to  _ leave  _ a little early, and spend some “quality time” with Cora. He was finally ready to be with her, and this morning had helped him realize that. 

As he arrived at his desk, another officer was already waiting on him. 

“Looking Glass! Someone came by with this-” The officer held up a thick manila envelope. “She gave explicit instructions to give it to you  _ and only you.” _

“Thanks, Officer,” he said, opening it to scan the first page. It was from someone named Kelly who worked at a bank… and had been gathering evidence - disparaging and airtight evidence - regarding the illegal activities of the Brotherhood of Divine Light and Peace. He sat down to dive into it.

“Oh- one more thing. You know that tracking device you placed on the car from the compound? We just got a ping. Looks like they’re back in town.”

“Alright,” he said, more calmly than he felt. “We got a location?”

“Yeah - ping was downtown, in the restaurant district. Looks like it’s behind a bakery?”

Wade felt a cold chill run up his spine.

“Which bakery?”

***

Cora arrived at the bakery at noon. Early enough to park and walk to the loading docks before anyone else was supposed to be here… or so she had hoped. When she lifted the overhead door, a white pickup truck was already there. She could practically hear her heart pounding in her chest.

She could see two tall heads and two shorter ones, but she couldn’t make out any details yet.

As planned, she started the bakery delivery van and flashed its lights twice. Three times would mean to scrap the plan.

The passenger door of the truck popped open. After a few seconds, two small figures emerged. Cora gasped. These girls couldn’t be older than 7 or 8 years old. She hoped this was a preventative move and that these girls hadn’t already been targeted by the creeps in charge.

She thought of her conversation with Tina again. Loop. She couldn’t wait to burn these fuckers down.

She slid open the van’s back door and the two girls climbed inside. Eventually she saw Seth exit the truck. She’d recognize him anywhere but was surprised to see that he had a full head of prematurely white hair. 

He was walking to her car - after all these years,  _ finally  _ \- and she almost laughed in relief.

Her relief was short-lived. Another unfamiliar car came speeding down the alley and screeched to a stop right between the white pickup truck and Cora’s delivery van. Cora drew a gun and stepped out of the van, putting herself between the newcomer and the two little girls. Who had followed them? Seth dove behind the pickup, out of sight from everyone.

“One more step and I’ll shoot, asshole!” She yelled. A figure got out of the car and held his hands up.

“Cora?! Is that you?!” It was Wade, with his Looking Glass mask on. He sounded thoroughly confused. She lowered her weapon and ran to him, hugging him.

“Wade! What are you doing here?” 

“I take it this is what you wanted to talk about earlier.”

“I nearly shot you, you know.”

“Look I need to talk to your friend Seth. Someone named Kelly came into the station earlier. Brought a whole file full of evidence that could help us shut down the whole compound.”

“What? Kelly turned herself in?” Seth asked. 

“Not exactly, she-“

Just then three more police cars flew down the alley with sirens blaring. Seth ran for the van to comfort the two young girls while Wade got the officers’ attention.

Cora wasn’t thrilled with the involvement of so many other people… 

The cops detained the other driver in the pickup. 

“What the fuck?” She yelled. “They will know something is up when he doesn’t come back.”

“They’ll know anyway.” Seth noted drily. “The CFO of the organization, Phil“ he indicated the driver,”  _ and _ these two girls all disappear under cover of one night? Yeah. They’ll know, and then the Elders will pick up stakes and hide.”

Cora felt sick. She’d read a lot about cults, and the times when they felt threatened were the times when their own members… or outsiders… were most at risk. They’d gotten four people out, but had they just doomed hundreds of others?

At least she felt more secure in her decision to take Tina’s place in the underground resistance. This was a crucial moment. They needed her..

Now to tell Wade...

***

Cora’s announcement that she was joining the resistance hung in the air between them. Wade was not pleased. He was terrified for her.

“You agreed to do  _ what?!”  _

“I’m not alone. There’s a whole network. We’re going to take down those assholes for good. I’ve got to go  _ now  _ or they’ll disappear for good.”

“Now listen, Cora- This isn’t the way. These guys are in our crosshairs now, we’ve got Kelly’s evidence, and it’s good. She’s been thorough. Just let us build our case.”

“Okay, and meanwhile? How long will this ‘case building’ take?”

“Cora, god dammit I love you.”

That stopped her.

“I’ve loved you ever since I walked into your house to find you covered in pillow stuffing, when Bruiser got stir crazy. You are a force to be reckoned with. You’re strong and kind and funny and fucking  _ brave as shit _ . But you are talking about illegal, dangerous stuff here. You’re gonna get yourself hurt. Or worse. I can’t watch you take these risks.”

“So what? I do nothing and let those assholes get away with hurting people- or with whatever they’re planning that involves  _ stockpiling fucking weapons?  _ I have to try. Even if it’s pointless, I have to try.”

“See? That’s what I’m afraid of. You’re reckless. You don’t care if you get hurt. Well, maybe I do.

I…” He shook his head. He didn’t want to say what he was about to say. “I want to help you bring them down. But if you’re going down this path… I can’t be there with you.”

He hoped that would shock some sense into her, but she seemed to dig in deeper.

“So you’re just  _ done?  _ Just like that? Jesus! Are you sure that’s why? Are you sure you’re not just ending things because you’re actually getting close to someone and it scares you?” She meant for that to sting and it did. Wade just looked at her without speaking.

He wasn’t sure if there wasn’t some truth in that. Cora continued.

“I can’t let this go. This asshole is ruining people’s lives. Do you know how many girls… I was  _ fourteen _ , Wade, when he-“ she shook her head. “I’m only here now, I only have this life because someone else risked theirs. I owe mine to getting  _ everyone _ out. I can’t just turn away.”

Wade didn’t know what to say. He stepped up close to her and pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss.

“I love you,” he told her, almost a whisper. “I know these people are evil but please, think about what you’re doing. There’s another way.”

She kissed him back with the same intensity. 

“I love you too, Wade. You have no idea how much.” Then she took a step back. There were tears running down her cheeks. “But I have to do this.” 

With that, she turned and left Wade’s house, closing the door firmly behind.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! I have updated the timeline for the events in this story to coincide with the official HBO timeline because -  
> this is the chapter where things overlap with the series. I have made a few small adjustments in chapters 2 and 3 so that everything is groovy.  
> Do people still say groovy?  
> Anyhoo  
> My apologies if this is confusing or annoying.  
> Below is the correct timeline for this story; HBO series events are in parentheses.
> 
> April 20 2019- Cora falls outside Wade’s house.  
> May 11 - Bruiser is stir crazy, has eaten pillows  
> June 15 - Cora’s “Christmas in June” party  
> June 18 - Cora’s house fire  
> August 10 - Wade shows Cora the bunker, they kiss  
> August 14 - Seth and girls are rescued, W & C breakup  
> (Events of HBO start after this chapter)  
> Sept 8 - (shooting of Officer Charlie Sutton)  
> Sept 9 - (squid fall), Cora goes to check on Wade  
> Sept 15 - (Judd Crawford has a fateful meeting with Will Reeves)  
> Sept 20 - (Wade’s EDS alarm malfunction)  
> Sept 21 - (Wade meets Renee at the support group - keene’s “squid pro quo”)  
> Sept 22 - (Wade turns in Angela. 7k visit Wade)  
> Sept 23 - Cora talks to Petey; (Trieu turns on millennium clock. Wade and Laurie take Veidt in, Wade flies Archie)  
> Sept 24 - Wade starts home  
> Sept 25 - Wade arrives home... events transpire.

August 15, 2019

The day after Cora had helped Seth and the girls escape, she woke with a sick heavy feeling in her stomach. Then the memory hit her like a brick: She and Wade had ended things.

 _Christ,_ she thought, _‘things’ had barely started._

But something about last night’s conversation felt final.

She forced herself to rally. She and the escapees had spent the night in a roadside motel, and now she was going to bring the girls to the home of someone Seth knew, just for a few days while a nonprofit looked for a longer term home.

The were sisters. Their names were Christie and Harriet. 

She bought them a big fast food breakfast on the way. With milkshakes. They looked so scared and her heart hurt for them. She just wanted to give them some happy memories before they went to wherever they went next. Luckily, the nonprofit would assure them a good, stable home, and long-term mental health care while they resettled.

Cora’s house had been fully rebuilt: she got the call only a few days ago. It was good timing. She invited Seth to stay with her there, at least for a bit. It would help her get her mind off of things.

Bruiser was slow to warm up to Seth - he growled every time he saw him for the first week. She remembered how easily he had taken to Wade.

_Oh, Wade._

She still didn’t understand how he was willing to end things so easily.

She still loved him.

She wished he would understand what she had to do. She could really use his perspective and support. She thought about reaching out, but she didn’t. 

September 9, 2019

Cora thought of Wade three times that day.

The first time was when she was at the store and saw a battery-operated “dancing cactus.” The cactus even had a little horseshoe mustache and a sweet, sleepy smile, just like Wade. She was tempted to buy it for him, just as a surprise.

She thought he would find it funny, but wouldn’t see any similarity.

The she remembered: They weren’t even speaking. 

The second time she thought of him was in the afternoon on her way home from work. There was a squidfall: what Wade would refer to as an “inter-dimensional event”. It was over in less than a minute, but she knew it would have an effect on him. She’d never experienced one first-hand before. It was strange. She could understand how unsettling it must be for someone like him… who had been there in ‘85. Cora watched her windshield as the little squids just dissolved into slime. So odd. She wondered if he would capture some slime to add to his collection. Or some photos.

She wondered if the event would send him into what Cynthia called an “episode.”

Cora had run into Cynthia the week before, when she went to have some genetic tests done on Bruiser. She recognized her right away from the photo that still hung on Wade’s wall. 

Wade didn’t seem to have any ill feelings towards his ex, so Cora didn’t mind when she asked how he was. Cynthia seemed genuinely sorry to hear that she and Wade had ended things. The two women had exchanged phone numbers. Maybe they’d grab a coffee sometime. That could be nice. Cora thought it was nice that Wade’s ex still seemed to care about his general well-being. It was a good sign that things had ended on generally good terms.

Maybe she should give her a call.

For the moment, however, as she took a squeegee to her car’s windows, Cora was only thinking of Wade.

Hoping the squidfall didn’t send him into some dark, fearful place.

She didn’t call this time either, but she kept an eye on his driveway. She didn’t see his car, so at least he wasn’t hiding in his bunker.

The third time she thought of him was that evening. She was sitting down with some stir fry for dinner when the evening news stopped her cold.

A Tulsa police officer had been shot the night before during a routine traffic violation. He was in critical condition.

They didn’t give a name. 

And Wade still hadn’t made it home yet.

Fuck their interpersonal drama, she wanted to know if he was okay. She stayed out on her front porch all night, until his car finally rolled into the driveway a little after 1:00am.

She waited about five minutes and ran down to his house and banged on the door. 

He threw it open, looking disheveled, tired, and more than a little annoyed.

“Cora? What are you doing here? It’s one in the fucking morning.”

“I know what time it is,” she snapped. “They said an officer got shot on the news. I know we’re not really… talking, but I was worried.”

His face softened. He was clearly exhausted but he took a step back from the door, indicating for her to come in.

“Officer Sutton. That’s his name. It looks like he’s gonna pull through.”

“Oh. Well, thank god.”

“Looks like it might’ve been racially motivated. He called in a traffic stop right before. The Seventh Kavalry looks to be involved.”

“Wasn’t that… the group who killed all those cops on the White Night?” Fear edged into her voice.

Wade exhaled heavily. 

“It was indeed.”

“Fuck those racist assholes.”

They just stared at each other for a minute. Finally Cora spoke.

“I was thinking about you earlier, with the squidfall. How are you?”

“It was just a little one. Got some new pictures of ‘em, though.”

“Didn’t answer my question.”

He paused before answering.

“You don’t have to worry about me, Cora.”

She didn’t really buy his nonchalant act, but he was right: it wasn’t up to her to press him.

“How’s it going with the compound folks?” he asked.

“Not great, actually. The leadership has already split, but the families are still there. Seth is trying to work his connections. I actually drove out there the other day just to see what I could see. I got to the perimeter of the property but I didn’t see much. Everything looked the same.”

 _Eerily so_ , she remembered with a shudder.

“Wait a minute: You went out there _alone_?” He seemed wide awake now.

“Yeah.”

“Jesus, Cora.”

“I was careful.”

“No, you were lucky. Why would you do that? What did you hope to find?”

Cora didn’t respond. She didn’t come here to hash out the same fight that had led to their breakup. 

“Anyway, I’m glad you’re okay, Wade. I’m glad that wasn’t you on the news. Just… you know you can still call or come by, right? If you need to.” She walked to the door. “It was good to see you.”

“Take care of yourself out there, Cora. I don’t want to see _you_ in the news either.”

She nodded. For a second, it looked like she wanted to say something else but thought better of it and left.

Wade watched her walk down the block to go home. 

He wanted to run after her. He wanted to grab her and kiss her and apologize for being a stubborn ass.

He wanted to tell her he still loved her and he wanted to be with her, no matter what crazy shit she was planning.

But he didn’t.

 _Great going, dummy,_ he told himself. _You just can’t handle being happy, can you?_

Maybe there was some truth to what she’d said the night they broke up. 

_“Are you sure you’re not just ending things because you’re actually getting close to someone?”_

_***_

Wade had only known Cora for about five months - and they were together for less than a week - but after she was out of his life, he felt lonelier than he had in years.

When he first met Cora, he found himself helping her with odd jobs big and small: home repairs, walking the dog. Angela had teased him about it but he didn’t mind. It had been a long, long time since anyone had relied on him for anything. Cora asked his advice about house projects. She made him little treats to thank him. It was a nice feeling to be appreciated like that, and he didn’t remember when he’d felt that last. 

He still remembered how prickly she was with him at first - something he noticed she did with other new people. Once she warmed up to him, he felt like he’d earned something special.

And he recognized something in her- she’d been hurt before. He tried to be gentle around her and he could tell she was doing the same. He didn’t stay long at her house, never pushed a visit if he sensed any hesitation.

They’d slowly built a friendship out of humor, respect, and genuine affection. He liked being around her, talking with her. After all that, they had taken a few shaky steps towards love.

And in one night he had burned it all down. 

He was exhausted from being at the hospital with Chief Crawford but now he was too keyed up to sleep right away. 

He locked his front door and unlocked his reflectatine mask. Some baked beans and a little TV would quiet his mind.

He hoped.

***

Cora hadn’t exactly _lied_ when she told Wade about her trip back to the compound… but she hadn’t told him the whole truth, either.

She’d made it as far as the security checkpoint on the compound perimeter when a warning shot cracked one of her headlights. She slammed her car into reverse and got out of there, oddly relieved.

If they had recognized her, they wouldn’t have let her leave. 

Maybe Wade had been right - maybe she was in over her head. 

If she weren’t so stubborn she’d ask him for help.

 _Then again_ , she told herself, _if you weren’t so stubborn you’d admit he was right and ask him to come back. Tell him you still love him, you’re just an idiot._

Now she was back home, relieved that Wade hadn’t been shot, but too worked up to sleep. She opened the fridge. Some leftovers and trashy TV would help her relax and wind down.

She hoped.

September 23, 2019

Cora hadn’t talked to Wade since the night after the squidfall. She’d left him a message when the Chief of Police was found hanged a couple of nights ago, but he didn’t call back.

She didn’t have any other reason for concern, however, until the 23rd. Walking Bruiser after work she noticed several unfamiliar cars at Wade’s house - including, alarmingly, a Medical Examiner’s vehicle. Her heart dropped.

 _No_...

She ran across the street to talk to a tall, thin man who appeared to be in charge.

“Hey! What’s going on here?”

He looked up, startled, as she approached.

“Ma’am, you need to leave the premises. This is a federal investigation.”

“Who the fuck are you?” she was pissed.

“A- Agent Dale Petey, ma’am. FBI.” His confident facade was undermined by his shaking voice.

“Well, Agent, the guy who lives here is a friend of mine, so I’d like to know - _Jesus fucking Christ…”_

As she spoke, multiple body bags were being removed from the bunker. She felt dizzy.

_No. Goddammit NO!_

She barely noticed when her knees buckled and she collapsed on the grass.

“Ma’am? _Ma’am!”_ The agent had been speaking to her, trying unsuccessfully to get her attention. “ _Hey!”_ He snapped. That shook her out of her fog. He crouched behind her and whispered.

“Look, Detec- um, Mr. Tillman is your friend?”

She nodded, unable to form words, just staring at the body bags being moved to the M.E. vehicle.

Cora saw a Rorschach mask fall to the ground. _Fuck._

She looked at the agent, who was still apparently talking to her.

“I didn’t tell you this, but he wasn’t- there wasn’t any sign of him down there. Whatever happened,” Agent Petey whispered, “it looks like he got out alive.”

***

Wade rubbed his eyes as he switched on Archie’s autopilot setting. It had been a long fucking day, and a long fucking week. 

He’d learned a lot in the past few days and some of it turned his whole life upside down. If he hadn’t met Adrian, seen - and used - the baby squid machine himself, he still might not believe it. 

If he hadn’t recently broken up with Cora, he wondered if he would have fallen into Renee’s trap. 

_Fuck,_ he thought, _if it hadn’t been that she’d have gotten him some other how._ She had his number from the minute she he walked into that EDA support group. Probably before that. Had they been watching him?

At first he’d felt like a damn fool. His degree in Extra-Dimensional Studies, all the EDS equipment he’d bought, the fucking yards of reflectatine- what was the damn point?

But when he had knocked Adrian cold, he felt something else: He started to feel like he had some control in his own destiny... some control he thought he’d lost a long time ago.

The new information wouldn’t erase his PTSD, but it would help him worry less about future squid attacks. He didn’t like violence as a rule, but that asshole had killed millions. _Millions._

That whack with the wrench felt damn good.

He also started to understand why it was so important to Cora to confront the compound’s leadership herself. He took out a picture of her.

In the picture, Cora was walking her dog and Wade was a few steps behind. The sun was lighting up her hair like a fiery halo. She had turned back to laugh at something he’d said when he surprised her with the camera. He wanted a candid shot.

It was a great photo of her: she looked happy, relaxed… beautiful. She really was gorgeous. In one hand she was holding Bruiser’s leash. The other hand was extended towards the camera: flipping him off. 

It made him smile every time.

Until he remembered how he’d ruined things. Probably for good.

“Who’s the smokeshow?” Asked Laurie. He jumped a little. He didn’t know she was standing there. He tucked the photo back into his breast pocket.

“Didn’t know you were back there.” 

“Come on, I've seen you take out that picture at least a half dozen times since we’ve been on board. Is she the future Mrs. Mirror Guy or what?”

He sighed.

“Just my neighbor.”

“Let me guess: you had to borrow a cup of sugar and the rest is history?”

He just stared at her, then back at the display ahead.

“Fine, don’t tell me. I’ll just bug your house and find out myself,” she teased.

“It’s a long story.”

She nudged his elbow and sank down in the seat next to him with a shrug.

“It’s a long flight.”

***

“So, that’s that, I reckon.” Wade said with a sigh as he finished telling her about Cora.

“Shit…” Laurie responded.

“Yep. I really fucked things up.”

“No, not the story- I think that’s the most I’ve ever heard you talk.”

“Alright,” he frowned, returning his attention to the window in front of him.

“Seriously, Wade: I think you should give it another shot with this Cora.”

“Maybe you missed the part where I ended things?”

“Well neither of you is married. Or dead… Or lying about being on Mars. I mean, you two obviously really care about each other, you’re both just being bull-headed idiots. That sounds like love to me,” she quipped.

He laughed humorlessly.

“Besides, someone way smarter than me once told me: ‘nothing ever ends.’ So, who knows? It’s worth a shot. Take it from me: you don’t want to wait until it’s too late to try.”

***

At the same time Wade was telling his story to Laurie, some hours after her conversation with Agent Petey, Cora was crawling through the forest near the compound. One of Seth’s contacts had left some documents buried near a tree, and In a plastic file were maps, phone numbers, and addresses- everything that would lead right to the Elders’ hiding place.

All she had to do now was try to get back to her car - a mile or so down the road - on her hands and knees, undetected.

 _Piece of cake_ , she told herself. Unconvincingly.

For the hundredth time, she realized that she should have listened to Wade: they were working with law enforcement now, anyway. Maybe this would be the last “cloak and dagger” operation before they would go in.

She hoped so. She’d been crawling for about twenty minutes when she took her first break. Her arms were weak and she was out of breath. She laid down and rolled over, just for a minute.

She closed her eyes. She didn’t know how long, but she must have fallen asleep. The next thing she knew was the sound of a shotgun being cocked near her face. She opened her eyes to see a man in camouflage staring down at her, with the Brotherhood logo sewn on his shoulder. He nudged her with the gun and signalled for her to stand up, then brought out a pair of handcuffs.

_Shit._

***

September 24-25, 2019

Wade thought about what Laurie said the whole drive home from Washington DC. 

_Nothing ever ends._

Did he actually still have a chance? He spent the night in Indianapolis then made it to Tulsa the following afternoon. He felt like a zombie from the drive but he had a plan.

He made it to his house before Cora usually got home.

_Hi, Wade._

Pulling into his driveway, he knew what he was going to do.

_You don’t have to change a goddamn thing._

He sat on his porch. He’d wait here until he saw her.

_Don’t you know that I love you?_

She understood him like no one else had. She was patient with him but she didn’t coddle him or treat him with pity. When he was with her he felt stronger, healthier.

She _saw_ him.

And she loved the man she saw.

He loved her back, more than he thought possible.

_Nothing ever ends._

He would ask Cora to take him back… if she’d have him.


	9. Chapter 9

September 25, 2019

As Wade made his way back into town, Cora was at work, grateful she could hide in the kitchen. She’d managed to get away from the asshole guarding the compound but she’d earned a massive black eye in the process. Cora was still unsure how she’d gotten away on the previous night. 

***

She remembered stomping on the guy’s foot before he could handcuff her, which was just enough of a distraction for her to whip around and jam the heel of her hand upward into his nose, then grab his gun. She tried to run but he grabbed her ankle and pulled her back down and punched her in the face, giving her the black eye she was currently trying to hide. Somehow Cora got to her feet again and knocked him out cold with the butt of the gun. She emptied the chamber, scattering the bullets on the ground, then threw the empty weapon as far as she could and ran for it, hoping she was headed back out to her car. 

The forest was dense but once she got to a clearing, she could see power lines and follow them back to where she had parked. She ran the last half mile at a breakneck pace and, finally, spotted her car.

She jumped in, locked the doors and let out a sigh. She was shaking but starting to relax as she fished her key out of her bra.

BAM BAM

A different man was pounding on the roof of her car. He was preparing to hurl a rock at her back window.

She screamed, turned on the ignition, and drove off, heading the wrong way. 

That was not ideal… 

She ended up getting quite lost before finding a gas station to stop for directions. It was almost midnight when she got home. She was exhausted, but too terrified to sleep.

***

So, here she stood in the kitchen, trying to ignore her bruises and sore muscles while downing enough coffee to resuscitate a sleeping horse. She made up a story about the black eye. For the most part she stayed busy and was able to put the whole thing out of her mind.

But when it caught up with her, she felt hopeless. They were taking crazy chances and it seemed like it was for nothing. No new leads, no new evidence. She should have trusted Wade with this. He had a way of listening and giving advice that cut through all the bullshit. Now, she was in way over her head and he had seemingly vanished off the face of the earth. Right now, she just wanted to know where he was.

Meanwhile, she was enjoying catching up with her cousin after so many years apart. Seth was in many ways exactly the person she remembered. In other ways he was different- that was to be expected after twenty years. 

But he wasn’t the one she wanted to talk to right now.

She came home in the early afternoon, at her usual time. A nap was calling her name. 

Barely had she taken off her shoes when there was a knock at the door.

She frowned. Seth had just moved out, but he still had a key. He wouldn’t knock. Who would come by unannounced? She wasn’t expecting anyone.

“Hello?”

No answer. Annoying. She went to the door and threw it open, ready to give some door-to-door salesperson a piece of her mind.

She froze.

It wasn’t a salesperson.

It was Wade. 

He looked good: healthy and unhurt and… different somehow.

“Hey Cora I-“

Before he could say any more, she wrapped him up in a hug so tight he could barely breathe.

He closed his eyes and hugged her back.

God, this felt good.

After a good minute or two she stepped back to look at him.

“You look good,” she told him. She was trying to act casual but her eyes were shining with tears. He was staring at her with furrowed brows. She had a black eye and small cuts all over her face. “No offense, but you look like hell. How’d you get that shiner?” He was alarmed but he didn’t want to show it.

She hugged him again, this time in tears.

“Oh, Wade. I have so much to tell you. I don’t know where to start.”

He rubbed her back as she cried in his arms. Suddenly she stopped and looked at him.

“I thought you were dead. Two days ago a Medical Examiner car kept pulling body after body out of your bunker and - wait, you’re not wearing your hat.”

Now he grinned broadly.

“Nope.” 

Cora smiled too as she ran her fingers through his hair.

“It’s a good look.”

“I got a few things to tell you, too,” he said, enjoying her touch.

“Wade, listen- I’m so sorry about the way things went - the night we rescued Seth and those kids. You were right, I’m in way over my head with this.”

“Forget about that. I want to apologize to you. I think there was more than a little truth in what you said about me pushing you away. But I meant what I said before. You remember the first time I showed you my bunker? I told you I have a tendency to keep people at arm’s length.”

“I remember.”

“Well I meant it. I do not want to do that with you.”

“Wade-“

“I still love you, Cora. I never stopped.”

Her heart caught in her throat. She just stared for a moment, trying to process everything that was happening. Finally she found her words, but her voice was barely a whisper.

“I love you, too.”

Wade stepped close to Cora and pulled her into a deep kiss. It felt so intense she hummed as he walked her backwards into her open front door, shutting it behind them. It was several minutes before they came up for air.

“Jesus, Wade.“

“Cora, I love you. I fucking love you.”

“Oh baby, I love you too.” 

“Is it okay if I just keep saying it?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“I just- gotta make up for lost time.”

They kept moving through the house as they kissed. In the doorway to the bedroom, Cora paused.

“Wait: Are you sure about this?”

“I am.”

She flashed a wicked grin.

“Good.” She took off her shirt and unclasped her bra. Wade’s jaw dropped and Cora suddenly felt shy. He seemed almost reverent as he touched her, cupping one of her breasts and strumming her nipple with his thumb. 

He started taking off his own clothes and paused. Cora could have sworn she saw his hands tremble. They were standing so close to each other that they were touching.

“Look, I know as a man I’m not supposed to say stuff like this, but…” he was speaking quietly now, “Could you be kinda gentle… with me?”

Her heart nearly melted at his request. 

“Of course,” she whispered back.

With careful movements she led him to her bed and removed the rest of her clothes. Wade paused a few times as he did the same. He seemed nervous. Cora kissed him softly.

“I don’t want you to do one thing you aren’t okay with. Whatever you need is okay.”

Wade kissed her back. Just her saying that was reassuring. He looked in her eyes, focusing only on her.

“I want to be with you, Cora.”

They climbed into bed together, kissing and holding each other close. Cora loved the feeling of their naked bodies pressed against each other. She parted her legs and felt him harden as she kissed him again.

Wade looked in Cora’s eyes, searching for any hesitation, any doubt. He only found desire and vulnerability. She wanted him - all of him. 

His sweet Cora.

He explored her first with his fingers - she was so fucking wet for him and he remembered what kind of touch she liked. Soon, she moaned in his ear that she was ready for more.

God, so was he.

He held her eye contact as he lined himself up. He pushed inside her gently, slowly, all the way to the hilt. Her eyes slammed shut as she gasped at the feeling. He was finally inside her, filling her, fucking her.

She gripped him tightly as they adjusted, while he kissed her and told her again how much he loved her. 

He started rocking into her with measured strokes, slow and deep. It drove her crazy. She rolled her hips against him and they fell into a rhythm.

She felt so good, so tight. The way she was responding to him was almost too much.

Her soft moans and the way she writhed beneath him. He didn’t know if he could last much longer. But no, he wanted to make her cum first. He slowed his movements and slipped his hand down, stroking right on her clit while he fucked her.

She gasped and arched her back. The sudden change in angle drew a low rumbling moan from Wade. She clutched him to her and whispered the filthiest things she could think of in his ear. She noticed which comments made him stiffen and gasp. Everything he was doing to her felt incredible. Her breathing grew ragged and her moans louder until-

She came with a shout, calling out Wade’s name as her hips bucked against him. Her climax seemed to go on and on. Her walls clenching on him nearly sent him over the edge but he fucked her through it and then slowed to a stop, kissing her gently and giving her a chance to recover.

She enjoyed a moment of his affections but she knew he wasn’t done. She whispered in his ear:

“Go on, baby. It’s okay.”

That did it. Wade started moving again, a little more roughly now. His breath quickened as he picked up his pace. She loved the feeling of him losing control, rolling his hips harder and harder as his pleasure took over. She held onto him tightly as his thrusts grew erratic and finally, as he climaxed and cried out, pumping his hips as he rode out his orgasm. 

As he finished, he raised his head to make eye contact again. He kissed her, holding her close until he softened and gently eased himself out. 

Wade laid on his back and Cora curled up against his chest.

“Oh my god, Wade.”

“Hmm…” was all he could manage for the moment.

They stayed that way for several minutes, neither wanting the moment to end.

“Cora?” Wade said at last. She looked at him.

“That was nice.”

She laughed. “Just nice?” 

He grinned at her.

“No. That was... real nice.”

“Wade, sweetheart, you are a master of understatement.” 

***

After a shower and a nap, Wade and Cora still hadn’t left the bedroom. They were sitting in bed facing each other. Cora was playing with Wade’s hair, and he was laughing.

“How do you do that?”

“What, you don’t know how to braid hair?” 

“Not that,” he said, ruffling his hair with a smirk. “How do you look at me like you’re the one who won the damn lottery?”

“Because I did?”

He gave her a look.

“Wade I’ve never met anyone like you in my life. You have this incredibly gentle, pure soul, but you also have this strength. You never lose sight of your moral compass. Even if it scares the shit out you, you always do the right thing. I don’t know if you know how rare that kind of strength is. And on top of that, you’re funny. Thoughtful, observant, considerate…”

“Are you done?” Wade was rolling his eyes, uncomfortable with praise.

“Mostly… the compliments get kind of dirty after that.”

“Shit…” he laughed, falling back on his back. “Cora, darlin’, you are a mess.”

She grinned broadly and then looked at him a little more seriously.

“Wade- I’m sorry about that last fight. You were right. I was reckless and taking dumb chances.”

“No, Cora-“

“Yes, Wade. I nearly got myself killed - twice - and for what? We’re no closer to finding them… let alone stopping them. And we won’t be until we work with the police.”

“Listen. I wanted to tell you something. I understand why you feel like you do. I had a chance to confront someone who was responsible for a lot of pain and trauma in my life. And a fuckton of other lives. I did something, I made a choice to bring him to justice. It felt… it felt like I was taking something back. Taking myself back, if that makes any sense.

“I just wanted you to know I understand. I’m still gonna worry about you, but you never need to apologize to me for doing what you need to do. You got that?”

She hugged him tighter, burying her face in his chest. It took him a few seconds to realize that she was sobbing.

*** 

Both called into work that day, calling it a “personal day.” They made love again… and then again. Finally Cora got out of bed, pulled on a bathrobe. and headed to the kitchen, trying to coax Wade into doing the same.

“Come on, we haven’t eaten all day.”

“Speak for yourself,” he smirked.

She rolled her eyes but she was blushing beet red. It turned out that oral sex was yet another of Wade’s skills.

“ _Food_ , Wade. I’m talking about eating food.”

He laughed to himself while she headed back to the kitchen, fighting a smile. She was trying to scrounge something together out of leftovers when the phone rang. She answered, then went back to the bedroom with a puzzled expression.

“Wade? It’s for you.” He frowned. He had told no one that he was coming here.

He quickly pulled on a t shirt and pants and walked to the kitchen to take the call.

“Yeah?” He said gruffly.

“Whoa. Is this a bad time, Mirror Guy?”

He shook his head and fought a smile.

“Agent Blake, this is a surprise.”

“Well you weren’t at your place so I looked for anyone named Cora nearby- Oh shit, I didn’t interrupt anything did I?”

He rolled his eyes but said nothing.

“Can I help you with something, Agent Blake?”

“Yeah I just wanted to make sure you got my little ‘thank you’ present? For all your help the past few weeks.”

“What are you talking about? A present?“

“Oh relax, it’s not jewelry or anything. Although I guess it is more like two presents.”

Just then there was a knock at Cora’s door. She pulled on a bathrobe and went to answer it. 

Two women in suits were on the front porch. One of them held out a business card.

“Are you Cora?”

“Um… yes? Who are you?”

“Jessica Tempus and Barb Fugit, attorneys at law. May we come in?”

“That’s them,” Laurie said over the phone. “ Your gift. Bye, Wade.”

“Tempus and Fugit,” Cora repeated. “Why does that sound familiar?” She tried to act nonchalant as she tightened her bathrobe around her

“We specialize in… unique cases,” Fugit began. “Prosecuting cult leaders, leaders of secret societies, and other dangerous large scale scam artists.”

Cora and Wade exchanged a look. Cora invited them in, somewhat in a daze, then sank onto her couch.

The lawyers took a seat on the loveseat. They had been partially briefed on Cora’s situation, but were there to get more information from her. They’d visit the station tomorrow with Wade to go over any evidence he could share with them. Agent Blake had arranged for their fee to be paid in advance.

Cora felt so happy she could cry. She gripped Wade’s hand and he wrapped his other arm around her shoulders. 

One of the lawyers placed a hand on Cora’s should and promised that they were going to bring them down.

Cora could barely believe it.

They were really, finally, going to bring the whole place down.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well this is it. The end. I’ve really loved writing this story and I really appreciate those of you who have read along! Thank you, sincerely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a playlist to go along with the story. here is that playlist:
> 
> The kinks - Catch me now I’m falling   
> The Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition  
> Big Thief - Not  
> TV on the Radio - Careful You  
> Nataly Dawn - Careless Whisper  
> Tame impala - lost in yesterday  
> Young the Giant - mirror master  
> Talking Heads- burning down the house  
> Nico & Velvet Underground - I’ll be your mirror  
> Aimee Mann - save me   
> Vampire Weekend - hold you now  
> Bleachers - I wanna get better  
> David Bowie - Heroes

October, 2019

A month had passed, and the lawyers had gotten right to work building their case. Charges had just been filed against the Leader and Elders at the compound. Finally they were being held accountable. Most of the families had been evacuated - some more willingly than others - and all had been offered mental health services and access to deprogramming specialists.

A few individuals had been willing to testify. A few had disappeared, still trying to join up with the Brotherhood, or start their own groups. 

Most were somewhere in between, just trying to move ahead with their lives.

Today, Cora was in the lawyers’ temporary office, thumbing through any evidence they would let her see. She wanted to be as involved as possible in the prosecution. Among the paperwork was information about Christie and Harriet, the two girls that Cora had helped escape with Seth. Their parents had been killed trying to escape and the Elders were planning to arrange their marriages much earlier than usual. That’s why it had been so time-sensitive to get them out. Cora’s blood boiled. 

One of the lawyers - Fugit - saw her looking at the file.

“Oh yeah- those sweet little girls. They’re being fostered by a great family but they’re still looking for a permanent home. Thank god at least they’re out of that nightmare. Did you know what the Elders were planning? The long term stuff?”

Cora just shook her head, in a daze.

“They were selling these weapons to the Seventh Kavalry before the big, uh… _incident._ ” Lady Trieu’s attempt to turn on her Doomsday Clock wasn’t supposed to be public knowledge, but it was pretty hard to hide a huge fucking wrecked clock in the middle of a plaza in the Greenwood District. Stories were circulating, but mostly they were just guesses.

Wade had told Cora everything already. He didn’t want to start out together by holding anything back. He said that not telling her felt like a lie. The truth was very important to Wade: that was one of the things she admired most about him.

“Not just guns - rocket launchers. Land mines.”

Fugit’s words snapped her back to the present.

“Holy fuck.”

“They were positioning themselves to be allies- a guard army or some shit.”

Cora shivered but immediately felt a sort of vindication at their failure.

Throughout her young life, the Elders, the Leader, and the whole compound felt all-powerful, super-human. It felt useless to stand up to them: the punishments were always worse than the “crimes.” Nothing good ever happened when anyone defied them or even disagreed. Later, she supposed that was the point: they wanted people to feel powerless against them. 

She was glad to be here to see their whole system crumble and fall.

***

November, 2019

It had been two months already, but Cora and Wade were still enjoying the heady rush of their new relationship. Luckily they’d both been able to change their schedule by an hour or two, which meant a little more time together in the evenings.

Last night, they sat on the couch watching a documentary about the 1920s, Wade turned to her and raised his eyebrows a couple of times. That meant one thing.

“Really, Wade? All these flappers and bootleggers are doing it for you?”

“What can I say?” He told her with a smirk. “I’m a man of eclectic tastes.”

Cora peeled off her shirt and no more words were needed.

Cora had learned quickly that Wade was a generous lover. It seemed like he preferred getting her off to his own pleasure. Even on nights when they didn’t make love, he would offer to slip his hand down her pants while they sat on the couch together. He also loved going down on her. Whatever they did, he paid attention to what she liked.

Her pleasure was his priority, which both aroused and frustrated Cora. She didn’t want to push him but she wanted to give him the same attention. But being on the receiving end seemed to make him uncomfortable. Even some positions - like her on top - were a no-go for him. 

Meanwhile, Wade was exceedingly respectful of Cora’s triggers. He would never touch her neck at sneak up on her after she had told him not to, and why.

So they carefully navigated each other’s boundaries. Trusting each other enough to be vulnerable together.

Figuring out what worked, what didn’t. Taking advantage of opportunities to get a little… creative.

Tonight, she had something special in mind for Wade, but she wasn’t sure how he would react. After a little make-out session on the couch, she stood up and then sank back down again, on her knees in front of him.

”Is this okay?” She asked, her hands resting on his knees.

Surprised, he nodded. “Um. Yeah if - you know - if you’re sure...”

“I’m sure.” Moving slowly, she ran her hands up to his fly and started unbuckling his belt. He usually seemed uncomfortable if she tried to remove his clothes, so she didn’t mind when he took over, unbuttoning his jeans the pushing them down with his boxers. His cock sprang free.

Cora and Wade made brief eye contact. He was blushing a little so she just gave him a smile.

”Remember - We can stop any time you want.” 

“Okay. I’m good.” His voice was barely above a whisper.

Cora licked her lips and gripped the base of his shaft. She took him in her mouth, as much as she could, and swirled her tongue around the tip of his head before she started to move up and down while she worked the rest of his length with her hand.

His outstretched arms gripped the back of the couch as his head fell back.

”Oh, shit, Cora...” was all he could manage to say as she continued. It felt incredible and he let himself enjoy it - let himself enjoy being taken care of for once.

Cora, too, was enjoying this sudden role reversal. She loved Wade and loved giving him pleasure, seeing him so utterly at her mercy...

Finally his breath hitched and she knew he was close. She increased the intensity of her movements until he came with an “ohhhh...”

She kept going until he gave the gentlest sign to stop, just an “Okay.”

With a smile she sat up and tried to be subtle as she went to the kitchen for a glass of water.

”Well damn, Cora. That was...”

He trailed off, exhaling heavily, which she took as a compliment.

”Let me guess: ‘real nice’?”

***

December, 2019

Abby and Cora were at a downtown park in the mid afternoon one day. Cora had brought Christie and Harriet to the park and to get a little lunch and play on the playground equipment.

The first time they had come here, the two little girls seemed so unsure of what to do. Cora had played with them until they relaxed a bit. 

Now, they were dashing around the playground equipment and talking to other kids like they’d been doing this their whole lives.

“They’ve come out of their shells so much,” Abby commented.

“Yeah, they really have.” Cora smiles as she watched them.

“Have you given it any more thought?”

“Taking them in, you mean? Yeah. Of course. But I don’t know what they would think about it.”

“Are you kidding? They love you.”

“I mean, we get along. And I’ve thought about it. It’s a big decision, though.”

“Is it Wade? Does he not want kids?”

“I don’t know,” Cora said, realizing that they hadn’t discussed it.

Abby rolled her eyes.

“You two still in that ‘new relationship’ phase, huh? No time for serious conversations… or clothes?”

Cora just laughed and shrugged. Right then, the girls ran over to show Cora and Abby some rocks they’d been collecting.

Abby sipped her coffee and watched the three of them interact. Cora’s whole face lit up when the girls came near or asked her to do anything. Abby worried about her friend. She could tell how attached Cora was to them - she could relate to them in a lot of ways and wanted to give them the stability she didn’t have as a child.

After the compound was raided and the leaders arrested, Cora had asked about her own parents. Her mother, it turned out, had passed away more than ten years ago and her father - now one of the leaders - had never forgiven Cora for leaving the community, so he wouldn’t even talk to her. Even to let her know about her mother. Cora told Abby that it was fine. She’d written him off years ago when she learned he was arranging her marriage. Still, even as she shrugged it off, Abby could see some pain in her friend’s eyes. 

Abby knew, more than most, how much Cora’s capacity to trust and get close to people had been damaged by her childhood. Somehow Wade, with similar issues, had been able to earn her trust easily.

She hoped it wasn’t a bad idea for her to get close to these girls. 

***

That night as they lay in bed after sex, Cora was tracing little circles on Wade’s chest with a finger.

“Something on your mind, love?”

“Actually, yeah. I was just thinking… about what family means. I thought that when Seth got out of that place, it would feel like some connection to my past. I thought I would feel… complete somehow. To be back together with family. And don’t get me wrong, it’s been wonderful to reconnect with him.

“But the person I feel safest with? The person who feels like ‘home’ to me? It’s you.”

She laid her head down in his arms. Wade took a deep breath and kissed the top of her head.

“I feel the same way. Safe with you. And that’s no small thing for me.”

She hugged him tightly for a moment and then they both drifted off to sleep.

***

April, 2020

Wade and Cora were getting ready for a garden party at Wade’s house. Cora had invited about thirty people and almost all had accepted. 

She was putting the finishing touches on her hair and makeup as the guests started to arrive.

From behind a door, Wade called to her: “Hey Cora, I think some people are here. You about ready?”

“I am. What about you?”

“Most certainly.”

“You think anyone’s figured it out yet?”

“I have no idea. I doubt it, though.”

“Well, I’ll see you out there.”

Wade walked towards the back door feeling lighter and happier than he had in years. Cynthia was standing just outside, waiting for him. She was one of the few people he’d told what today really was.

He didn’t think it would be right to spring it on her.

“Hi, Wade. Is it alright if I give you a hug?”

He nodded, smiling, and reached out for her first. 

“I can’t believe you’re getting married again- Congratulations.” They stepped apart. Cynthia was still smiling.

“I’m glad you could be here. I didn’t know if you’d want to,” he told her.

“Of course I came. I mean yeah, it’s bringing up some memories, but… I’m happy for you, Wade. She’s a sweet girl but she’s sharp as a tack. You need that, I think.”

“I think you might be right about that.” He said, pausing.

”She needs me, too, which is nice. And I’m gonna do things right this time. I want you to know that’s partly ‘cause of you. I guess I had to learn some things the hard way.”

Cynthia smiled. It was hard not to when Wade was so clearly happy… and healthy. He hadn’t worn his ballcap the last few times she had seen him. There were lots of emotions for her today - sadness, regret, gratitude… even love. But she really did want the best for him, and she was clinging hard to hope.

“Go on now,” she told him, glancing at her watch. “Your bride is waiting.”

***

Guests sat around rented tables and ate barbecue. Cora snuck a peek through the window and saw her friends Abby, Marc, Steve, and Kurt. Next to them, Seth was striking up a conversation with Wade’s ex-wife Cynthia. A few others from the police force were there, although they didn’t identify themselves. She saw some activity starting under a rented gazebo, where Wade and his fellow officer Angela were standing. Suddenly, Angela nodded a signal to someone and music started. 

The crowd seemed a little confused until two young girls wove a path down the center of the yard tossing flower petals as they went. A ripple of reactions rolled through the crowd as they understood:

Wade and Cora were throwing a surprise wedding. 

Once the girls were halfway down to the gazebo, Cora stepped outside. She wore a simple sundress and sandals with rose gold trim. Wade gave her a smile and a little wink. She was stunning. As she made her way to him, she could see tears glistening in his eyes.

On the steps of the gazebo, the two lovers faced each other and held hands. 

Angela prepared to officiate. 

He was glad that they’d been able to repair their friendship.

Wade still felt a little guilty about turning her over to Agent Blake, even though they’d talked about it and he explained how Keene had threatened her whole family. It had still been a betrayal: a breach of her trust, and he knew that hurt well. For her part, she seemed to take it all in stride. If it hadn’t been for that decision, she might not have taken Will’s Nostalgia. A lot of things might have been different.

Under the gazebo things seemed to be lit in pale blue. Was it his imagination or did there seem to be a glowing blue light radiating out from Angela?

Wade shrugged it off. That was a fucking weird thing to think.

Cora looked around at the crowd who was smiling and wishing them well, and the two flower girls - Christie and Harriet. She and Wade had gone through most of the steps to be considered a permanent placement. Marrying wasn’t a requirement to adopt them, but both of them wanted to do it anyway.

***

They’d talked about it a few weeks prior. Wade loved spending time with the girls, too, and he was on board right away

“You know,” he started, with a tone that said something was on his mind. “I think it might be nice if we made this official before we start raising kids together,” 

Her heart leapt - she didn’t realize that this was something she wanted until he said the words - but she didn’t want to assume.

“You mean-“

“I mean you and me.”

“Is that the only reason? For the girls?”

“Cora,” he said, stepping closer to her. “You know the way I feel about you. I never thought I’d want to get married again but… I never thought I’d meet someone like you. You know I may not ever put all my ‘issues’ behind me-”

“I don’t expect that.”

“I know, and you still love me with your whole heart. I feel the same way about you. I would want this, kids or no kids.”

“Is it too soon?”

He shrugged. “Doesn’t feel too soon to me. What do _you_ think?”

“I... think it feels right. But- you’re telling me you are _sure?”_

He pulled a jewelry box out of his pocket. There was a taped receipt dated from months ago, well before they had started considering taking in the girls. He had been planning this for months.

“I’ve never been more goddamn sure about a thing in my life.”

***

Back to the present, Angela was asking them if they were ready.

“Ready, Chief,” he told her with a nod. She smiled. Her promotion to Chief of Police was relatively new but he’d been telling anyone who would listen for months that TPD would be crazy not to pick her for the job. His support had meant a lot to her during the drawnout interview process. 

She asked the couple to repeat their vows after her. They looked deep into each other’s eyes as they did. When Angela told him he could kiss the bride, he held her close and gave her such a tender kiss she thought she might faint. Everyone in the yard cheered. Even Bruiser barked.

Cora wobbled a little as she was leaving the gazebo - she wasn’t sure if it was her heels or the kiss - and Wade extended a hand to help.

“You okay, there?” he asked. She laughed.

“Did you know that those were the first words you ever said to me? Almost a year ago today, the first time we met?”

“I did not remember that,” he said with a shy smile, feeling touched that she would remember a detail like that. 

“I think the first thing I said to _you_ was a string of swear words after twisting my ankle.”

“Now I do remember _that,”_ he laughed.

“Amazing what’s happened in the past year, isn’t it?”

His eyebrows raised.

“You can say that again.”

She leaned in and kissed her new husband.

 _Husband._ That was going to take some getting used to.

“So, are you ready?” he asked as they came up for air.

“For what?”

“For whatever life brings us.” 

She grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze. She was beaming.

“With you? Always.” 

They’d come through so much, each of them, due to circumstances beyond their control and choices other people had made. Now they were both in a far healthier place than they’d been when they met a year ago. Now, they had a chance to forge a path that would look however they wanted. 

Cora reached out and took his hand, leading him through the crowd of surprised guests. He happily went wherever she would take him.

Wade didn't want to wait one more minute for their future to start.


End file.
